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
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Recent Examples of contender
The Royals were regular contenders, but didn’t win a championship, relocating to Kansas City and becoming the Kings in 1972, before moving to Sacramento in 1985.
—
Skyler Trepel, PEOPLE, 18 June 2026
However, if Topuria needs more time to recover and prepare for the rematch, top contender Arman Tsarukyan will almost certainly be the next man up.
—Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 18 June 2026
Next, your votes whittled the field of contenders to the Top 10 picks, then down to the Top 5 and Top 2.
—Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 17 June 2026
His team, the Oklahoma City Thunder, is also expected to be championship contenders for years to come because of its stockpile of young talent and yet more draft picks.
—Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 17 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for contender
Skyler Trepel, PEOPLE, 18 June 2026
However, if Topuria needs more time to recover and prepare for the rematch, top contender Arman Tsarukyan will almost certainly be the next man up.
—Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 18 June 2026
Next, your votes whittled the field of contenders to the Top 10 picks, then down to the Top 5 and Top 2.
—Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 17 June 2026
His team, the Oklahoma City Thunder, is also expected to be championship contenders for years to come because of its stockpile of young talent and yet more draft picks.
—Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 17 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for contender
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contender
Noun
-
None of the Senate candidates surpassed the 50% threshold required to win, and Ossoff and Warnock headed to a January 2021 runoff against their Republican opponents.—
Jay Stahl,
USA Today,
18 June 2026
-
Burnham was promptly selected as Labour’s candidate, making Thursday’s by-election perhaps the most consequential in British history.—
Issy Ronald,
CNN Money,
17 June 2026
Noun
-
Turning to larger athletic shoe players, prospects are mixed as smaller competitors inch ahead.—
Vicki M. Young,
Footwear News,
22 June 2026
-
While art remains the primary business for Sotheby’s and its competitors, sports memorabilia and other collectibles have quickly become important categories as the major houses work to broaden their collector bases.—
Harrison Jacobs,
ARTnews.com,
22 June 2026
Noun
-
Instead, another contestant was named the winner.—
Charlie Lapastora,
CBS News,
20 June 2026
-
First performed as an Edinburgh Fringe one-off, where contestants included a bunch of Horne’s comedian friends, Taskmaster has grown into a genuine phenomenon.—
Alex Horne,
Vulture,
19 June 2026
Noun
-
But Republican rival Steve Hilton slammed the group for political opportunism.—
Ben Paviour,
Sacbee.com,
20 June 2026
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The idea is that even rivals can find common ground over a beverage.—
Ralphie Aversa,
USA Today,
19 June 2026
Noun
-
In his most recent outing, Kape knocked out former UFC flyweight title challenger Brandon Royval in December.—
Trent Reinsmith,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2026
-
The mayor has used his political capital instead to back challengers who, by definition, can deliver less federal funding.—
Bradley Tusk,
New York Daily News,
20 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Contender.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contender. Accessed 23 Jun. 2026.
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