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
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
The experience served as an extreme way to learn what Everest requires of its challengers.
—Zoey Lyttle, PEOPLE, 7 Nov. 2025
Scott faced six Democratic challengers in 2024 but won the primary with nearly 58 percent of the vote.
—Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Nov. 2025
While Kalshi and Polymarket remain the dominant players, other challengers are emerging.
—Sydney Lake, Fortune, 6 Nov. 2025
If the Court decides against the President, the lucid performance of Neal Katyal, representing one set of challengers, must be credited with demonstrating that commonsense runs the other way.
—Jeannie Suk Gersen, New Yorker, 6 Nov. 2025
The filing period for California's congressional primary does not open until February 9, 2026, and closes on March 6, so there is still plenty of time for other challengers to enter the ring.
—Oren Oppenheim, ABC News, 6 Nov. 2025
Season 42 continues on Friday with Allegra Kuney returning as champion to face two new challengers.
—Usa Today Staff, USA Today, 6 Nov. 2025
Absent replacing party sinecurists with able, energetic people, nothing can keep candidates from adopting this agenda on their own—as some younger primary challengers of Democratic incumbents are already starting to do.
—David Wingrave, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
Flint McColgan, Boston Herald, 8 Nov. 2025
The experience served as an extreme way to learn what Everest requires of its challengers.
—Zoey Lyttle, PEOPLE, 7 Nov. 2025
Scott faced six Democratic challengers in 2024 but won the primary with nearly 58 percent of the vote.
—Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Nov. 2025
While Kalshi and Polymarket remain the dominant players, other challengers are emerging.
—Sydney Lake, Fortune, 6 Nov. 2025
If the Court decides against the President, the lucid performance of Neal Katyal, representing one set of challengers, must be credited with demonstrating that commonsense runs the other way.
—Jeannie Suk Gersen, New Yorker, 6 Nov. 2025
The filing period for California's congressional primary does not open until February 9, 2026, and closes on March 6, so there is still plenty of time for other challengers to enter the ring.
—Oren Oppenheim, ABC News, 6 Nov. 2025
Season 42 continues on Friday with Allegra Kuney returning as champion to face two new challengers.
—Usa Today Staff, USA Today, 6 Nov. 2025
Absent replacing party sinecurists with able, energetic people, nothing can keep candidates from adopting this agenda on their own—as some younger primary challengers of Democratic incumbents are already starting to do.
—David Wingrave, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for challengers
Noun
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Axel Springer laid off 20% of its staff at Business Insider, and has instituted strict spending limits at Politico that have left employees grumbling about the outlet’s inability to match some of the salaries of its competitors.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
10 Nov. 2025
-
There will be some minor differences between ProphetX and prediction market competitors.—
Dan Bernstein,
Sportico.com,
10 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Instead, this team bullied one of the top NFC playoff contenders from start to finish.—
Tyler Everett,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
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Performers like Olivia Dean and PinkPantheress have pretty much provided the soundtrack for TikTok this past year, and are being viewed as strong contenders in that category, along with Ravyn Lenae and Megan Moroney.—
Lisa Respers France,
CNN Money,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Amazingly, Exposure contestants go through hours of practice and performance each day without ever seeming to tire, and along with the competitive spirit, there’s a real sense of community, with skaters constantly encouraging, applauding, and appreciating each other.—
Lonnie Burstein Hewitt,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 Nov. 2025
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The pageant director accused Bosch of skipping promotional activities, including a photoshoot that all contestants were expected to share on social media.—
Allison DeGrushe,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Sea’s operating expenses also jumped by 28%, as its e-commerce arm Shopee tries to strengthen its competitive edge of rivals like Alibaba’s Lazada and ByteDance’s TikTok Shop.—
Angelica Ang,
Fortune,
12 Nov. 2025
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American pasta makers regularly complain that their Italian rivals are underpricing their goods.—
Prashant Rao,
semafor.com,
11 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Challengers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/challengers. Accessed 14 Nov. 2025.
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