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
Just how much this boosts Newsom at the expense of other Democratic Governors considered 2028 contenders – Govs.
—
Douglas Schoen, Oc Register, 7 Aug. 2025
This year, there 228 series submissions across drama, comedy and limited or anthology, which means there are still plenty of contenders if Emmy were to subdivide categories.
—Michael Schneider, Variety, 7 Aug. 2025
According to multiple reports, the UFC parted ways with 33-year-old Slovakian heavyweight contender Martin Buday.
—Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 31 July 2025
Kienholz was probably the slightly better of the two contenders, but the goal for both is to start stringing good practices together to make the decision easier.
—Cameron Teague Robinson, New York Times, 31 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for contender
Douglas Schoen, Oc Register, 7 Aug. 2025
This year, there 228 series submissions across drama, comedy and limited or anthology, which means there are still plenty of contenders if Emmy were to subdivide categories.
—Michael Schneider, Variety, 7 Aug. 2025
According to multiple reports, the UFC parted ways with 33-year-old Slovakian heavyweight contender Martin Buday.
—Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 31 July 2025
Kienholz was probably the slightly better of the two contenders, but the goal for both is to start stringing good practices together to make the decision easier.
—Cameron Teague Robinson, New York Times, 31 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for contender
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contender
Noun
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With the mayoral race now in full swing, how do candidates Eric Adams, Zohran Mamdani, Andrew Cuomo and Curtis Sliwa plan on addressing the transit system’s most common complaints?—
John Ficarra,
New York Daily News,
5 Aug. 2025
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The two declared Republican candidates for governor have also focused on transgender youth.—
Hope Karnopp,
jsonline.com,
5 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Joachim Trier’s Cannes Grand Prix winner Sentimental Value will screen in Open Air alongside Michel Franco’s Berlin competitor Dreams and Miguel Ángel Jiménez’s Locarno title The Birthday Party.—
Diana Lodderhose,
Deadline,
12 Aug. 2025
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When Grok 3 failed to outperform its competitors significantly, the company embraced post-training approaches to develop Grok 4. GPT-5 fits neatly into this trajectory.—
Cal Newport,
New Yorker,
12 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The reunion was filmed in advance in New York City, and there was a lot of speculation on the internet about whether certain contestants would or would not show up.—
Dina Kaur,
AZCentral.com,
15 Aug. 2025
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The show, in which players try to determine which contestants are faithfuls and which are traitors, has already been renewed for a fifth season.—
Raechal Shewfelt,
EW.com,
15 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The arrangement will give Disney more heft at the negotiating table with distributors and new firepower in its effort to outmaneuver streaming rivals.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
6 Aug. 2025
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Both companies are under enormous pressure from digital rivals and shrinking TV advertising markets, and the Berlusconi family believes a scaled European player is better placed to compete with giants from the U.S. and China.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
6 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Contender.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contender. Accessed 19 Aug. 2025.
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