1
as in champ
the person who comes in first in a competition
the champion of the national spelling bee
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in proponent
a person who actively supports or favors a cause
she's the biggest champion of budget reform in the Congress
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to advocate
to promote the interests or cause of
he has always championed the protection of abused animals
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of champion
Steve Buckley, New York Times, 12 Jan. 2026
Naumov immediately thought of his parents, who were two-time Russian Olympians and world champions, when the announcement was made.
—Lori Riley, Hartford Courant, 12 Jan. 2026
Alex Crippen, CNBC, 24 Jan. 2026
The kulturkanon—which the Sweden Democrats championed—can be seen as a softer product of the same mentality.
—Colton Valentine, New Yorker, 24 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for champion
Noun
Williams is a decidedly big dog, both in terms of his actual size (6-foot-3, 290 pounds) and his status as a veteran of last year’s Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.
—Steve Buckley, New York Times, 12 Jan. 2026
Naumov immediately thought of his parents, who were two-time Russian Olympians and world champions, when the announcement was made.
—Lori Riley, Hartford Courant, 12 Jan. 2026
Verb
Two years later, in a deal championed by Buffett, Kraft merged with Heinz.
—Alex Crippen, CNBC, 24 Jan. 2026
The kulturkanon—which the Sweden Democrats championed—can be seen as a softer product of the same mentality.
—Colton Valentine, New Yorker, 24 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for champion
Recent Examples of Synonyms for champion
Noun
-
As fight night has gotten closer, the champ is now listed at -147, while Lopes is a +127 betting underdog.—
Trent Reinsmith,
Forbes.com,
26 Jan. 2026
-
His coach at Texas A&M, Jackie Sherrill, sent a statement recalling that Chet had been a key recruit out of Carter in 1984 and a cornerstone of three straight SWC champs.—
Kevin Sherrington,
Dallas Morning News,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
But proponents of the industry claim that the environmental costs still net out as a plus since the space data centers take processing off the fossil-fuel-burning grid.—
Jeffrey Kluger,
Time,
7 Jan. 2026
-
One of the biggest proponents of the capri resurgence, the supermodel has been making a stylish case for cropped pants since last summer—and her latest iteration takes the divisive Noughties silhouette into Italian girl style territory.—
Lara Walsh,
InStyle,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The organization advocates for bell-to-bell bans that require phones to be stored out of reach, saying stricter rules can improve student and teacher satisfaction.—
Kayla Huynh,
jsonline.com,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Cooper also advocated for a change in federal law to speed up the funding distribution.—
Nora O'Neill,
Charlotte Observer,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
But FOToS took up the most oxygen last year; its author, a two-time winner here, certainly will earn his third.—
Craig Jenkins,
Vulture,
30 Jan. 2026
-
The winner of the runoff election will have a bit of a head start, but a Saturday victory isn’t a guarantee of the same outcome later this year.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Yet the fact remains that their league position has slipped from fifth to 12th since away supporters last watched their team winning in the league, 2-0 at Nottingham Forest at the end of November.—
Andy Naylor,
New York Times,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Paris, Texas, Wings of Desire and Perfect Days director and long-time Berlinale supporter Wenders was announced as the president of the jury in December.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The app will bring to the fore true voices endorsed by the fanbases.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Rogan, who has increasingly broken with Trump in recent months after endorsing his 2024 campaign, refrained from explicitly criticizing the president or the Department of Homeland Security on Wednesday’s episode.—
Conor Murray,
Forbes.com,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The designer honors his Azerbaijani heritage, working with artisans from across Azerbaijan and Georgia to create rich, unique textures, while helping to support rural communities and preserve fading artisanal skills.—
Amy O’Brien,
Vogue,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Democrats have vowed not to support the funding measure unless there are guardrails placed on the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
This is an unusual position for an exponent of the public sphere and communicative rationality to take.—
Sean Williams,
Harpers Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
-
The development of her own particular free indirect discourse form of writing culminated in her position as an early exponent of the Modernist short story.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Champion.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/champion. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
