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
But 2026 isn’t 2022, with years of GOP control giving challengers clearer lines of attack.
—
Karen Brooks Harper, Dallas Morning News, 10 Jan. 2026
Quigley has filed for re-election for his current seat in Congress and faces four challengers in the Democratic primary election in March.
—Charlie De Mar, CBS News, 9 Jan. 2026
So far, Bass’ major challengers are embracing that strategy.
—David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 9 Jan. 2026
In the aftermath of Mamdani’s election success, progressive candidates are starting to emerge as primary challengers to more moderate Democrats in this year’s midterm elections, and the topic of Israel figures to play a role in those congressional races.
—Joseph Strauss, Sun Sentinel, 9 Jan. 2026
Despite such differences, both worthy challengers seek their first national championship.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2026
Bass is seeking reelection, with challengers including Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Austin Beutner.
—Kimi Robinson, USA Today, 8 Jan. 2026
Lander, whose political base is in brownstone Brooklyn, has positioned himself to the left of Goldman on most issues and has sidelined other potential progressive challengers like Councilwoman Alexa Aviles.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 6 Jan. 2026
That pressure comes from sitting Republican state lawmakers, led by House Minority Leader Bradley Jones and Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr, as well as GOP challengers for Healey’s job.
—Flint McColgan, Boston Herald, 8 Nov. 2025
Karen Brooks Harper, Dallas Morning News, 10 Jan. 2026
Quigley has filed for re-election for his current seat in Congress and faces four challengers in the Democratic primary election in March.
—Charlie De Mar, CBS News, 9 Jan. 2026
So far, Bass’ major challengers are embracing that strategy.
—David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 9 Jan. 2026
In the aftermath of Mamdani’s election success, progressive candidates are starting to emerge as primary challengers to more moderate Democrats in this year’s midterm elections, and the topic of Israel figures to play a role in those congressional races.
—Joseph Strauss, Sun Sentinel, 9 Jan. 2026
Despite such differences, both worthy challengers seek their first national championship.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2026
Bass is seeking reelection, with challengers including Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Austin Beutner.
—Kimi Robinson, USA Today, 8 Jan. 2026
Lander, whose political base is in brownstone Brooklyn, has positioned himself to the left of Goldman on most issues and has sidelined other potential progressive challengers like Councilwoman Alexa Aviles.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 6 Jan. 2026
That pressure comes from sitting Republican state lawmakers, led by House Minority Leader Bradley Jones and Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr, as well as GOP challengers for Healey’s job.
—Flint McColgan, Boston Herald, 8 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for challengers
Noun
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How does your brand's value growth compare to category competitors?—
Steven Wolfe Pereira,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
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This constitution, which Anthropic just updated, is one thing that differentiates Anthropic’s AI models from those offered by its competitors, such as OpenAI, Google, Meta, and Elon Musk’s xAI.—
Jeremy Kahn,
Fortune,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Former Fed governor Kevin Warsh, BlackRock executive Rick Rieder, Fed governor Christopher Waller, and White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett are among the top contenders for the position.—
David Zimmermann,
The Washington Examiner,
30 Jan. 2026
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Fans will want to keep tabs on whom title contenders and district title favorites — such as Aledo, Southlake Carroll and North Crowley — choose to face.—
Charles Baggarly,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Others, however, fall back into their old habits — and several of the contestants have died.—
Lynsey Eidell,
PEOPLE,
10 Jan. 2026
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Unlike previous iterations of Fear Factor, which featured new contestants in every episode, House of Fear will corral its 14 contestants under the same roof, Big Brother-style.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
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At certain points, Pelosi and Hoyer were seen as rivals vying for the speakership — a role that only Pelosi ended up securing.—
Nikole Killion,
CBS News,
8 Jan. 2026
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The short, but so far rather sweet, voyage of the Chelsea Under-21 boss at the first-team helm will feature one last stop just across the Thames against west London rivals Fulham.—
Jack Bantock,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Challengers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/challengers. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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