finalist

noun

Definition of finalistnext
1
as in champion

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Dissimilar Words
2
as in semifinalist

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Dissimilar Words

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 finalist Villalobos was a finalist alongside Ernie Lozano, the chief human resources officer for Broward County Public Schools. — Miami Herald, 29 July 2026 Jacobsen is a Pulitzer Prize finalist, journalist and bestselling author. — Emily Longeretta, Variety, 28 July 2026 That novel was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Circle award. — Literary Hub, 28 July 2026 And bettors seem to think that 2025 NBA finalist Indiana, which played without Tyrese Haliburton last season because of injury and plummeted to the bottom of the league, will return to the playoffs this season. — Tim Reynolds, Los Angeles Times, 25 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for finalist
Recent Examples of Synonyms for finalist
  1. champion
  2. semifinalist
  3. champ
  4. placer
  5. winner
  6. conqueror
Noun
  • In one episode, Jordan brought her to his hometown for a family dinner, with an empty chair representing the estranged Super Bowl champion.
    — Kathleen Perricone, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Aug. 2026
  • In the space of 18 months, China has gone from lagging far behind the US to hosting multiple AI models that are nipping at the heels of Silicon Valley’s champions and gaining major traction among users globally.
    — Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of champion
Noun
  • Frances Tiafoe, the hometown favorite who wants to win this tournament more than any event that isn’t a Grand Slam, had his hands full with Térence Atmane of France, a semifinalist at the Cincinnati Open last year.
    — Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 1 Aug. 2026
  • The James Beard Award Emerging Chef semifinalist sources from Brasstown Beef, Creekstone Farms and Peculiar Pig Farms to offer the most sustainable farm-to-table meats possible.
    — Claudia Alarcón, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
Definition of semifinalist
Noun
  • Outside of winning golf’s Grand Slam, repeating as Super Bowl champs is the hardest feat in sports.
    — Darren Cooper, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Others like Washington, Iowa and Illinois frequently fly under the radar as tough places to play, and home games in Bloomington are going to reach a whole new level now that the Hoosiers are defending champs.
    — Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of champ
Noun
  • Most of the early mining there consisted of placer mining — extracting minerals from sand and gravel in river beds — and mining declined during the Civil War.
    — John Meyer, Denver Post, 26 July 2026
  • Its breakout star is Parker Schnabel, a thirty-one-year-old who runs a placer mine in the Yukon that brought in fifty-one million dollars last year.
    — Jennifer Wilson, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
Definition of placer
Noun
  • Tonight’s drawing will be the 43rd in a row in search of a winner, and its prize ranks as the eighth-largest jackpot in Powerball history, according to the Multi State Lottery Association, which administers the game.
    — Avni Trivedi, CNN Money, 10 Aug. 2026
  • And with another Formula One weekend approaching, bringing precisely the international, high-spending and well-travelled customer this property was designed to attract, that decision looks to be a winner.
    — Kate Hardcastle, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of winner
Noun
  • The plot of the original YouTube series began to follow the Skibidi Toilets, a conqueror race armed with futuristic weaponry and an intention to colonize the galaxy.
    — Kyle MacNeill, Rolling Stone, 6 Aug. 2026
  • One stronghold after another has fallen to the ruthless conqueror Nobunaga Oda—often celebrated as the first great unifier of Japan but here cast as a largely offscreen mega-villain.
    — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 30 July 2026
Definition of conqueror

Browse Nearby Words

finales
finalist
finalists
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Cite this Entry

“Finalist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/finalist. Accessed 10 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of finalist for Spanish Speakers

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