1
as in candidate
one who seeks an office, honor, position, or award
a strong contender for the mayoral position
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
Here are the leading contenders for full-time roles based on interviews with several sources at CBS News who were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.
—
Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2026
The Associated Press said Tuesday that Becerra and Republican contender Steve Hilton had cinched enough votes in last week’s primary to proceed to the November general election.
—Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 11 June 2026
But his reign was brief, when he was bested by one of Wednesday's contenders after a $0 wager.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 11 June 2026
Honorable mention to Portugal, which should be a serious contender to win its first ever World Cup.
—Kellis Robinett, Kansas City Star, 11 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for contender
Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2026
The Associated Press said Tuesday that Becerra and Republican contender Steve Hilton had cinched enough votes in last week’s primary to proceed to the November general election.
—Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 11 June 2026
But his reign was brief, when he was bested by one of Wednesday's contenders after a $0 wager.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 11 June 2026
Honorable mention to Portugal, which should be a serious contender to win its first ever World Cup.
—Kellis Robinett, Kansas City Star, 11 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for contender
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contender
Noun
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Similar to congressional races, but unlike county-level elections, the top two vote-getters will advance to the November election regardless of whether either candidate wins a majority of the vote.—
Evelyn Ronan,
Sacbee.com,
10 June 2026
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Becerra, Hilton, and Steyer, a progressive billionaire entrepreneur and climate activist, survived amid a packed field of 61 gubernatorial candidates that took up a full page on a nearly two-foot-long ballot.—
Terry Collins,
USA Today,
10 June 2026
Noun
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Many competitors on Wall Street were thus gleeful when Citadel’s main fund fell by fifty-five per cent during the 2008 global financial crisis.—
Gary Sernovitz,
New Yorker,
15 June 2026
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That is certainly a significant ask in a world where a new competitor is a few lines of code away.—
Kamal Ahmed,
Fortune,
15 June 2026
Noun
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In 2020, however, RuPaul's Drag Race — which airs on VH1, also a subsidiary of Paramount Skydance like CBS — opted to disqualify contestant Sherry Pie after allegations of catfishing surfaced.—
Wesley Stenzel,
EW.com,
21 Aug. 2025
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Michaels supplied some contestants with caffeine pills, though caffeine was banned by the show's physician, Robert Huizenga.—
Jay Stahl,
USA Today,
20 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Tennessee finishes by playing Texas A&M, LSU and in-state rival Vanderbilt.—
Seth Emerson,
New York Times,
12 Dec. 2025
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As the ancient world collides with the present, Lara must decide who to trust among rivals and allies to prevent a catastrophe and protect a secret that could reshape the future.—
Nick Romano,
Entertainment Weekly,
12 Dec. 2025
Noun
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After the challengers head to the workroom to start their one-day challenge, Christian loses it a bit with the twins, too.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
22 Aug. 2025
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That didn't mean that Lake wouldn't be allowed to appear just because her challenger declined.—
Amanda Luberto,
AZCentral.com,
20 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Contender.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contender. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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