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
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Recent Examples of contenders
From October through November, in addition to weeks-long festivals in major global centers like New York and London, there are a growing number of regional film festivals that host plenty of major contenders.
—
Marcus Jones, IndieWire, 23 Oct. 2025
While there’s no place like home, these are all a few worthy close contenders.
—Melissa Locker, Southern Living, 23 Oct. 2025
President Obama’s office also routinely requested awards screeners (including La La Land and other Oscar contenders).
—Pamela McClintock, HollywoodReporter, 23 Oct. 2025
But the field of potential contenders is as deep as ever.
—Chase Goodbread, The Tuscaloosa News, 22 Oct. 2025
While the field is still fluid, here are some potential Democratic contenders for Pelosi’s seat.
—Mandy Taheri, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
My model will need to see something more impressive before believing in them as contenders.
—Austin Mock, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
Thanks to a scheduling quirk, the Spartans don’t face Boise State or UNLV – two of the conference’s top title contenders – this season.
—Aaron Johnson, Mercury News, 16 Oct. 2025
Of this crop of contenders, Valiant and Skillibeng probably have the best shots at Grammy recognition.
—Kyle Denis, Billboard, 16 Oct. 2025
Marcus Jones, IndieWire, 23 Oct. 2025
While there’s no place like home, these are all a few worthy close contenders.
—Melissa Locker, Southern Living, 23 Oct. 2025
President Obama’s office also routinely requested awards screeners (including La La Land and other Oscar contenders).
—Pamela McClintock, HollywoodReporter, 23 Oct. 2025
But the field of potential contenders is as deep as ever.
—Chase Goodbread, The Tuscaloosa News, 22 Oct. 2025
While the field is still fluid, here are some potential Democratic contenders for Pelosi’s seat.
—Mandy Taheri, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
My model will need to see something more impressive before believing in them as contenders.
—Austin Mock, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
Thanks to a scheduling quirk, the Spartans don’t face Boise State or UNLV – two of the conference’s top title contenders – this season.
—Aaron Johnson, Mercury News, 16 Oct. 2025
Of this crop of contenders, Valiant and Skillibeng probably have the best shots at Grammy recognition.
—Kyle Denis, Billboard, 16 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contenders
Noun
-
As electricity bills climb, candidates are turning their fire on data centers in a rare populist backlash that cuts across party lines.—
Sharon Goldman,
Fortune,
22 Oct. 2025
-
However, one in five respondents were undecided, underscoring the space that both candidates have to grow their support beyond their party bases.—
Martha McHardy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Despite the advances in AI, Duan concedes that early domestic CAE software lagged behind foreign competitors in several areas.—
Ni Tao,
Interesting Engineering,
21 Oct. 2025
-
Kahn is optimistic that Coach’s focus on a smaller number of affordable, yet consistent products puts it in a better place to manage cost and price increases than its competitors.—
Nicholas Gordon,
Fortune,
21 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
On Thursday night, meanwhile, high school student and aspiring dermatologist Mailyn Marsh, of Missouri, was named this year’s Miss Teen USA, a companion title for contestants aged 14 to 19.—
Oscar Holland,
CNN Money,
25 Oct. 2025
-
Probst has repeatedly clarified that no contestants who played in 2020's Season 40, including both Shallow and Collins, were asked to return for the all-stars season, set to air early next year.—
Anthony Robledo,
USA Today,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Analysts say Nike’s lack of product innovation and absence from wholesalers in recent years allowed those upstart rivals to gain market share.—
Merritt Enright,
CNBC,
21 Oct. 2025
-
The Israeli Premier League match was due to be played at Bloomfield Stadium, which is shared by the two rivals, but videos on social media showed fans clashing with police both inside and outside the area.—
Amy Woodyatt,
CNN Money,
21 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Absent replacing party sinecurists with able, energetic people, nothing can keep candidates from adopting this agenda on their own—as some younger primary challengers of Democratic incumbents are already starting to do.—
David Wingrave,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Oct. 2025
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Jorgensen was elected to the council in 2021 and is seeking a second term against five challengers.—
Angela Palermo,
Idaho Statesman,
23 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Contenders.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contenders. Accessed 26 Oct. 2025.
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