as in competitors
one who strives for the same thing as another
the third-party challenger in the presidential election
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Recent Examples of challengers
Fracturing of conservative communities leads a veteran Republican to retire and could help some incumbent Democrats fend off progressive challengers.
—
Los Angeles Times, 9 Mar. 2026
Season 42 continues on Monday with James Denison returning as champion to face two new challengers.
—Usa Today Staff, USA Today, 9 Mar. 2026
However, Kamau, who faded at the finish, started to pull away from the rest of the field at Mile 10 and led all challengers by more than a minute, including the hard-charging Martin, until the final mile.
—John Davis, Daily News, 8 Mar. 2026
The March 17 election includes primary races for Illinois’ secretary of state, attorney general and treasurer — and while all those positions are held by incumbent Democrats who are running for new terms with no primary challengers, Republicans are duking it out in one of the contests.
—Jeremy Gorner, Chicago Tribune, 7 Mar. 2026
Two incumbents on the Cobb County Board of Education are facing challengers.
—Cassidy Alexander, AJC.com, 7 Mar. 2026
All three incumbents are face multiple challengers.
—Ishani Desai, Sacbee.com, 6 Mar. 2026
Trumpmet with primary challengers of Indiana state senators who opposed redistricting.
—Marissa Meador, IndyStar, 6 Mar. 2026
Brighton away, where Arsenal’s closest title challengers City were beaten earlier in the season, feels like a place for pragmatism in motion, not poetry.
—Stuart James, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2026
Los Angeles Times, 9 Mar. 2026
Season 42 continues on Monday with James Denison returning as champion to face two new challengers.
—Usa Today Staff, USA Today, 9 Mar. 2026
However, Kamau, who faded at the finish, started to pull away from the rest of the field at Mile 10 and led all challengers by more than a minute, including the hard-charging Martin, until the final mile.
—John Davis, Daily News, 8 Mar. 2026
The March 17 election includes primary races for Illinois’ secretary of state, attorney general and treasurer — and while all those positions are held by incumbent Democrats who are running for new terms with no primary challengers, Republicans are duking it out in one of the contests.
—Jeremy Gorner, Chicago Tribune, 7 Mar. 2026
Two incumbents on the Cobb County Board of Education are facing challengers.
—Cassidy Alexander, AJC.com, 7 Mar. 2026
All three incumbents are face multiple challengers.
—Ishani Desai, Sacbee.com, 6 Mar. 2026
Trumpmet with primary challengers of Indiana state senators who opposed redistricting.
—Marissa Meador, IndyStar, 6 Mar. 2026
Brighton away, where Arsenal’s closest title challengers City were beaten earlier in the season, feels like a place for pragmatism in motion, not poetry.
—Stuart James, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for challengers
Noun
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Harris entered the race with a $4 million backing, according to FEC filings, a staggering amount compared to his competitors.—
Claire Carter,
The Washington Examiner,
11 Mar. 2026
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The key points of the settlement include an over $200-million payment, a divestment from some amphitheaters, a gradual end to exclusive ticketing contracts with venues, and opening up Ticketmaster’s platform to competitors.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Styles’s lanes — the sleek male pop vocalist, the possible rock icon — are now brimming with contenders.—
Craig Jenkins,
Vulture,
6 Mar. 2026
-
The City of Trees was one of the top five contenders for the title, WalletHub said.—
Hali Smith
March 6,
Idaho Statesman,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Unlike Iditarod contestants, they are allowed outside help.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
7 Mar. 2026
-
The very first episode of ANTM subjected the contestants to on-camera Brazilian bikini waxes and then sent them up to a Manhattan roof terrace to pose in swimwear in frigid weather.—
Sophie Gilbert,
The Atlantic,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Live Nation has faced years of antitrust scrutiny over its 2010 acquisition of Ticketmaster, which was cleared by the Obama administration and later contested as inadequate by rivals, lawmakers and fans.—
Josh Sisco,
Bloomberg,
9 Mar. 2026
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HostArmada may lack Windows server support and has stricter storage and database size limits compared with rivals offering similar plans.—
Gabriel Zamora,
PC Magazine,
8 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Challengers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/challengers. Accessed 13 Mar. 2026.
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