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
Frenchie's flameout was epic and hilarious, Derek X was astute and entertaining, and Claire easily could have been a serious contender on another season.
—
Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 4 June 2026
Cleveland, which has won 15 of 20 overall, will go for a three-game sweep Thursday afternoon in this matchup of American League contenders.
—Cbs New York Team, CBS News, 4 June 2026
Grier was a Heisman contender for a while.
—Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 4 June 2026
The list of contenders is long but starts with Troy Franklin, Pat Bryant and Marvin Mims Jr.
—Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 3 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for contender
Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 4 June 2026
Cleveland, which has won 15 of 20 overall, will go for a three-game sweep Thursday afternoon in this matchup of American League contenders.
—Cbs New York Team, CBS News, 4 June 2026
Grier was a Heisman contender for a while.
—Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 4 June 2026
The list of contenders is long but starts with Troy Franklin, Pat Bryant and Marvin Mims Jr.
—Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 3 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for contender
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contender
Noun
-
On the night of the primary election, holding hands with Montag, the mayoral candidate posed in glossy paparazzi-style photos.—
James Ward,
USA Today,
4 June 2026
-
But for a Cy Young candidate who, as part of a six-man rotation, won’t pitch in as many games as his competition, efficiency matters.—
Maddie Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
4 June 2026
Noun
-
Aren’t professional athletes supposed to be the ultimate competitors?—
Levi Weaver,
New York Times,
1 June 2026
-
Serena Williams will return to professional tennis this summer as a doubles competitor the HSBC Championships.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
1 June 2026
Noun
-
Higgins was among the first contestants announced for Dancing with the Stars' 35th season alongside Summer House star Ciara Miller.—
Chiara Kim,
PEOPLE,
5 June 2026
-
Season 12 also marks the introduction of the best Big Brother addition ever with the Zingbot, a sassy wisecracking robot who shows up for the sole purpose of roasting the contestants.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
4 June 2026
Noun
-
These two great rivals never raced each other again.—
Scott M. Reid,
Oc Register,
30 May 2026
-
In the span of a week, the Golden State Valkyries and Indiana Fever have seemingly become rivals.—
Nathan Canilao,
Mercury News,
29 May 2026
Noun
-
Republican challenger Steve Hilton trails Becerra by less than one percentage point as ballot counting continues.—
Terry Collins,
USA Today,
6 June 2026
-
This is the first time, to my knowledge, that an incumbent mayor in the City of Angels would be running against a challenger whose campaign manager is God Almighty.—
Steve Lopez,
Los Angeles Times,
4 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Contender.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contender. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
