1
as in candidate
one who seeks an office, honor, position, or award
a strong contender for the mayoral position
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in competitor
one who strives for the same thing as another
several contenders competing for the title of the city's best Italian restaurant
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 contender
If history is any indication, the list of true contenders can usually be cut down to about a dozen players based on tournament trends.
—
Rohan Nadkarni, NBC news, 9 Apr. 2026
The rest of the cast are worthy, and could be viable contenders in their own right, if the show continues to pick up steam.
—Clayton Davis, Variety, 9 Apr. 2026
Landrew, a national high school player of the year candidate this past season, figures to be further along as a contender for immediate playing time.
—Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant, 9 Apr. 2026
In the first five games following winter break, the Pioneers lost four times and tied once, looking nothing like a title contender.
—Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 8 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for contender
Rohan Nadkarni, NBC news, 9 Apr. 2026
The rest of the cast are worthy, and could be viable contenders in their own right, if the show continues to pick up steam.
—Clayton Davis, Variety, 9 Apr. 2026
Landrew, a national high school player of the year candidate this past season, figures to be further along as a contender for immediate playing time.
—Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant, 9 Apr. 2026
In the first five games following winter break, the Pioneers lost four times and tied once, looking nothing like a title contender.
—Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 8 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for contender
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contender
Noun
-
During the financial crisis in spring 2008, then-candidate Barack Obama dismissed his rivals' calls for a federal gas tax suspension.—
Kathryn Watson,
CBS News,
16 Apr. 2026
-
In a memo sent to allies Saturday, the Porter campaign said an internal poll showed that 46% of Swalwell voters had listed her as their second choice, compared to just 14% for fellow Democratic candidate Tom Steyer.—
Maxwell Adler,
Vanity Fair,
15 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The media outlet also reported that McDonald's plans to undercut competitors such as Starbucks and Dutch Bros on price, citing internal documents related to the launch.—
Megan Cerullo,
CBS News,
13 Apr. 2026
-
OpenAI alleges that Musk, who runs rival xAI, is suing to slow down a competitor.—
Queenie Wong,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
While Survivor has plenty of surprising rules for contestants, socks are a small creature comfort that’s allowed.—
Brittany Anas,
Entertainment Weekly,
11 Apr. 2026
-
The nine contestants competing for a chance to win season 29 of The Voice include Team Legend's Willis, Millevoi and West; Team Adam's Alexia Jayy, Jared Shoemaker and Jeremy Keith; and Team Kelly's JW Griffin, Liv Ciara and Mikenley Brown.—
Yamillah Hurtado,
PEOPLE,
11 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Anthropic has sought to distinguish its brand from OpenAI and other rivals by publicly emphasizing AI safety, highlighting its guardrails for keeping the technology in line.—
Aimee Picchi,
CBS News,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Jesse Peno paced things offensively, sniping six goals while dishing out a pair of assists as Nauset coasted to a 20-8 romp of Cape and Islands League rival Sandwich.—
Brian Roach,
Boston Herald,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Feldstein Soto’s challenger in the city attorney’s race, John McKinney, said the public deserves immediate answers.—
Richard Winton,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Apr. 2026
-
In Europe, investors will be looking ahead to the general election in Hungary taking place on Sunday, where Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is on course to lose to the main challenger party, Fidesz, in what could be the biggest power shift in 16 years.—
Leonie Kidd,
CNBC,
10 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Contender.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contender. Accessed 17 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
