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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of contenders
In an era of annual roster churn, predicting in the offseason which teams will go on to be true contenders is particularly difficult.
—
Molly Geary, Sportico.com, 20 Feb. 2026
After gold medal favorite Finley Melville Ives crashed out of contention, the top American contenders, rather sensibly, backed off in their second runs in men's freeski halfpipe qualifying.
—Andrew Greif, NBC news, 20 Feb. 2026
But some contenders are already apparent.
—Zach Schonfeld, The Hill, 20 Feb. 2026
Let your streaming weekend be full of best actor contenders new and old, with a best spongey dude thrown in for fun.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 20 Feb. 2026
Meanwhile, some Democratic contenders for president and lesser offices are making artificial intelligence regulation key parts of their platforms — because voters do actually care about the issue.
—Los Angeles Times, 19 Feb. 2026
Justice Democrats announced a dozen contenders for the 2026 cycle.
—Beatrice Peterson, ABC News, 19 Feb. 2026
The John Stockton-Karl Malone teams in 1990s were regular championship contenders, making the NBA Finals in 1997 and 1998.
—Mark Anderson, Chicago Tribune, 13 Feb. 2026
The progressive lawmaker is among the handful of potential Democratic 2028 presidential contenders who traveled to Germany for the conference.
—Mabinty Quarshie, The Washington Examiner, 13 Feb. 2026
Molly Geary, Sportico.com, 20 Feb. 2026
After gold medal favorite Finley Melville Ives crashed out of contention, the top American contenders, rather sensibly, backed off in their second runs in men's freeski halfpipe qualifying.
—Andrew Greif, NBC news, 20 Feb. 2026
But some contenders are already apparent.
—Zach Schonfeld, The Hill, 20 Feb. 2026
Let your streaming weekend be full of best actor contenders new and old, with a best spongey dude thrown in for fun.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 20 Feb. 2026
Meanwhile, some Democratic contenders for president and lesser offices are making artificial intelligence regulation key parts of their platforms — because voters do actually care about the issue.
—Los Angeles Times, 19 Feb. 2026
Justice Democrats announced a dozen contenders for the 2026 cycle.
—Beatrice Peterson, ABC News, 19 Feb. 2026
The John Stockton-Karl Malone teams in 1990s were regular championship contenders, making the NBA Finals in 1997 and 1998.
—Mark Anderson, Chicago Tribune, 13 Feb. 2026
The progressive lawmaker is among the handful of potential Democratic 2028 presidential contenders who traveled to Germany for the conference.
—Mabinty Quarshie, The Washington Examiner, 13 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contenders
Noun
-
Rather, they are required to provide such opportunities if legally qualified opposing candidates request it.—
BrieAnna J. Frank,
USA Today,
20 Feb. 2026
-
Justice Democrats said its candidates will not take corporate PAC money or money from American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), the crypto lobby or the artificial intelligence lobby.—
Beatrice Peterson,
ABC News,
19 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Extreme discounts relative to competitors are another warning sign, as no legitimate dealer is consistently selling silver below market price — not without a catch, anyway.—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
17 Feb. 2026
-
Elsewhere on Monday —As the Alpine skiing reaches its penultimate event, the weather made the men’s slalom course very difficult with only 44 of 96 competitors earning a score.—
John Cherwa,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
But the legal representatives also urged Orlins to respect other contestants, and implied that her political posts were harming other contestants.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
23 Feb. 2026
-
While contestants had to endure a long and grueling casting process, producers and the crew have been living and breathing the season even longer to pull off the anniversary installment, all the while juggling multiple seasons (48, 49, and 50) at the same time.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
22 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Currently, Chelsea are third, one point behind United in second and four ahead of Arsenal in fourth, but their London rivals have two games in hand.—
Cerys Jones,
New York Times,
23 Feb. 2026
-
The Economist has been covering markets, finance, and global affairs since 1843, watching rivals come and go from its perch.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
23 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Season 42 continues on Monday with Andrew He returning as champion to face two new challengers.—
USA TODAY Staff,
USA Today,
23 Feb. 2026
-
Abbott faces no major challengers in a GOP primary field of 11 candidates.—
Doug Myers,
CBS News,
21 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Contenders.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contenders. Accessed 25 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
