1
as in candidates
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 competitors
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 contenders
The home opener, especially for non-contenders, serves as a window into the season.
—
Troy Renck, Denver Post, 4 Apr. 2026
The first debate between presidential candidates occurred on May 17, 1948, when Republican contenders Thomas Dewey and Harold Stassen matched wits.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Apr. 2026
Voters, including myself, had to select seven artists from the record-tying 17 on the shortlist, the majority of them being contenders for the first time.
—Devon Ivie, Vulture, 2 Apr. 2026
What this also means is welcomer cities like Nashville and Orlando are now legitimate contenders in the innovation economy, according to JLL, which tracks talent migration, office market dynamics, and corporate investment across 135 cities globally.
—Sydney Lake, Fortune, 2 Apr. 2026
The masked killer’s latest spree made more than four times what the rest of the top-five genre contenders earned over the last three months.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 1 Apr. 2026
The Patrick Verona role had its own contenders.
—Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 1 Apr. 2026
Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar and beyond count AI as a core pillar of their post-oil economic strategies, positioning themselves as AI superpower contenders in a heated global race.
—John Liu, CNN Money, 31 Mar. 2026
However, both Amazon Prime and Netflix are reportedly still in the mix as dark horse contenders to have Tomlin as a studio analyst.
—Andrew McCarty, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026
Troy Renck, Denver Post, 4 Apr. 2026
The first debate between presidential candidates occurred on May 17, 1948, when Republican contenders Thomas Dewey and Harold Stassen matched wits.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Apr. 2026
Voters, including myself, had to select seven artists from the record-tying 17 on the shortlist, the majority of them being contenders for the first time.
—Devon Ivie, Vulture, 2 Apr. 2026
What this also means is welcomer cities like Nashville and Orlando are now legitimate contenders in the innovation economy, according to JLL, which tracks talent migration, office market dynamics, and corporate investment across 135 cities globally.
—Sydney Lake, Fortune, 2 Apr. 2026
The masked killer’s latest spree made more than four times what the rest of the top-five genre contenders earned over the last three months.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 1 Apr. 2026
The Patrick Verona role had its own contenders.
—Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 1 Apr. 2026
Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar and beyond count AI as a core pillar of their post-oil economic strategies, positioning themselves as AI superpower contenders in a heated global race.
—John Liu, CNN Money, 31 Mar. 2026
However, both Amazon Prime and Netflix are reportedly still in the mix as dark horse contenders to have Tomlin as a studio analyst.
—Andrew McCarty, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contenders
Noun
-
Sacramento's League of Women Voters, which does not endorse candidates, says the voting method is a nonpartisan way to improve elections.—
James Taylor,
CBS News,
3 Apr. 2026
-
While Protect Wyoming is necessarily focused within the state and on state politics, rather than federal candidates, its work stands to influence nonresidents who hunt, fish, and recreate in the state.—
Natalie Krebs,
Outdoor Life,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
In the first episode’s Elimination Challenge‚ which was focused on North Carolina’s state vegetable, sweet potatoes — Cochran cooked up a pork loin in the kitchen at La Belle Helene that wasn’t quite cooked through, landing her in the bottom three competitors.—
Heidi Finley,
Charlotte Observer,
31 Mar. 2026
-
To help resolve these dilemmas, European industry leaders are calling for government support, including subsidies and tax breaks, to level the playing field with Chinese competitors whose products come at unbeatable prices.—
Andy Browne,
semafor.com,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
As part of the hackathon competition, all of the contestants were given the same set of data — a batch of AHL games from two seasons ago — to work with.—
Corey Masisak,
Denver Post,
5 Apr. 2026
-
The season starts with 16 single contestants, and the last couple standing not only leaves the boat with a new boo, but gets a $100,000 trip around the world.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
4 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
But much like its rivals, the real season never built up a snow base to push skiing to its normal quality and season.—
Spencer Wilson,
CBS News,
6 Apr. 2026
-
This claim and others have been amplified by rivals.—
Ronan Farrow,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Roy, the deputy state attorney general and the most well-funded of three challengers in the June 2 city primary election, recently told the city attorney’s union that the city’s lawyers should only have to show up at the office two days a month, not counting court appearances.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Trump stayed for his side's argument and then walked out shortly after the challengers began making theirs.—
Domenico Montanaro,
NPR,
3 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Contenders.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contenders. Accessed 7 Apr. 2026.
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