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
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Recent Examples of contender
Here’s a rundown of the contenders.
—
Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 8 Jan. 2026
Typically, the Actors Awards, nee SAG Awards, can be counted on to elevate a new crop of Emmy contenders.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 7 Jan. 2026
In some ways, Rogers’ form is emblematic of Villa’s broader transformation into title contenders.
—Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026
Momentum hardens, vulnerabilities are exposed and the gap between contenders and pretenders is out in the open.
—Clayton Davis, Variety, 7 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for contender
Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 8 Jan. 2026
Typically, the Actors Awards, nee SAG Awards, can be counted on to elevate a new crop of Emmy contenders.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 7 Jan. 2026
In some ways, Rogers’ form is emblematic of Villa’s broader transformation into title contenders.
—Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026
Momentum hardens, vulnerabilities are exposed and the gap between contenders and pretenders is out in the open.
—Clayton Davis, Variety, 7 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for contender
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contender
Noun
-
Minter is a prominent candidate, since he's coached in Baltimore fairly recently.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
15 Jan. 2026
-
Interviewing Raheem Morris and Antonio Pierce satisfied the NFL's Rooney Rule requirements for minority or female candidates, and Harbaugh's visit to northern New Jersey paved the way to make a hire before any of the more than half-dozen teams with a vacancy.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
15 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Bannock plan pivots to condos Ahlquist is taking a different approach to downtown living than many competitors.—
Mark Dee
January 13,
Idaho Statesman,
13 Jan. 2026
-
The xAI safety team, already small compared to its competitors, lost several staffers in the weeks leading up to the controversy.—
Lex Harvey,
CNN Money,
12 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The former Miss Universe 2023 contestant recently joined Almost Honest podcast host and Miss International 2016, Kylie Verzosa, to talk about their hopes for the future of the Miss Universe pageant and why they’ve been disappointed with it as of late.—
Meredith Wilshere,
PEOPLE,
10 Jan. 2026
-
Unlike previous iterations of Fear Factor, which featured new contestants in every episode, House of Fear will corral its 14 contestants under the same roof, Big Brother-style.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
But the Comets responded to the disappointment of suddenly going down 8-5 to their biggest rival.—
Nathan Dunn,
Kansas City Star,
13 Jan. 2026
-
Evans played Alexis’ rival, Krystle Carrington, on Dynasty.—
Nicole Briese,
PEOPLE,
13 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
But 2026 isn’t 2022, with years of GOP control giving challengers clearer lines of attack.—
Karen Brooks Harper,
Dallas Morning News,
10 Jan. 2026
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Quigley has filed for re-election for his current seat in Congress and faces four challengers in the Democratic primary election in March.—
Charlie De Mar,
CBS News,
9 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Contender.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contender. Accessed 16 Jan. 2026.
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