contestant

noun

kən-ˈte-stənt How to pronounce contestant (audio)
Definition of contestantnext
as in competitor
one who strives for the same thing as another three contestants will compete on live TV for the cash prize

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 contestant However, Ashley added that many of the contestants came up to her following the incident. — Tabitha Parent, PEOPLE, 14 Aug. 2026 Fellow Challenge contestant and Big Brother player Paulie Calafiore, who appeared in Duckworth’s August post, penned a tribute on Instagram, resharing photos from the fan event. — Mckinley Franklin, HollywoodReporter, 13 Aug. 2026 Feeney said to me in an email that Best in Class shows contestants second-guessing concepts, scrapping ideas and adjusting their approach before reaching the final product. — Jacqueline Jevtich, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026 Coleman, no relation to the author, was a contestant on season 25 of The Voice. — Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for contestant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contestant
  1. competitor
  2. contender
  3. challenger
  4. rival
Noun
  • Last year, Chinese firms accounted for the vast majority of global android deliveries, far outpacing American competitors like Tesla, Figure AI and Boston Dynamics.
    — John Liu, CNN Money, 18 Aug. 2026
  • The pharmaceutical giant has sought out new avenues of success with cancer-treatment drugs and to catch up with its competitors, which have dominated the market for weight-loss medications.
    — Sam Jacobs, Time, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of competitor
Noun
  • Hüller starred alongside Ryan Gosling in Phil Lord and Christopher Miller’s Project Hail Mary and headlines Paweł Pawlikowski’s Fatherland, which premiered in Cannes and is considered a strong awards-season contender.
    — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 14 Aug. 2026
  • The six join previously announced Golden Shell contenders from Roberto Bueso, Nicole Garcia, Mikel Gurrea, Maha Harada, Pablo Larraín, Mike Leigh, Hans Petter Moland, Benjamín Naishtat, Javier Ruiz Caldera and Yeşim Ustaoğlu.
    — Emiliano de Pablos, Variety, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of contender
Noun
  • All 16 Florida House incumbents facing primary challengers survived Tuesday, as most state legislative races now turn toward the November general election, where Democrats have fielded challengers in nearly every contest.
    — CBS Miami Team, CBS News, 19 Aug. 2026
  • The two other statewide candidates drawing state matching dollars — Attorney General James Uthmeier and his Democratic challenger Jose Javier Rodriguez — will bypass the primary.
    — Jim Turner, Miami Herald, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of challenger
Noun
  • But keeping their promotion rivals at bay most definitely was, Parkinson’s men conceding 24 times in those dozen games, 16 of which came on Welsh soil.
    — Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Chinese rivals Baidu Apollo Go and WeRide, meanwhile, are ramping up plans and tests for operating autonomous rides in Europe.
    — Anniek Bao, CNBC, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of rival

Browse Nearby Words

contestable
contestant
contestants
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Contestant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contestant. Accessed 19 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on contestant

Nglish: Translation of contestant for Spanish Speakers

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