hopefuls

noun

plural of hopeful
as in candidates
one who seeks an office, honor, position, or award the three mayoral hopefuls are going to debate on local TV

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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 hopefuls Quigley’s one of the hopefuls in the so-far nine-candidate primary. — Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 12 Aug. 2026 Summer, though, can be a foe of glass hair hopefuls—the combination of sun, salt, chlorine, and humidity all contribute to hair becoming drier and frizzier, a concoction for dull, lackluster lengths. — Selvaggia Germani, Vogue, 10 Aug. 2026 Today, to qualify for a CEP grant, hopefuls must show popular support by raising a sum specified for their office in contributions between $5 and $340 and a number of donors must be future constituents. — Elona Vaisnys, Hartford Courant, 9 Aug. 2026 Both De Jesus and Singleton should be considered practice squad hopefuls. — Pete Sweeney, Kansas City Star, 8 Aug. 2026 There was similar notable (if not massive) movement for a couple NL Central hopefuls who made deadline deals, with the Milwaukee Brewers moving from +1000 to +900 and the Chicago Cubs from +1600 to +1500. — J.j. Bailey, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026 Continue reading … UNDER THE LIGHTS — First showdown in race for Lindsey Graham's Senate seat puts GOP hopefuls to the test. — FOXNews.com, 3 Aug. 2026 His ability to miss bats remained attractive to postseason hopefuls searching for bullpen depth. — Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026 All nine of the hopefuls were on hand Saturday for the event, with five minutes each to speak on stage. — ABC News, 1 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hopefuls
  1. candidates
  2. contenders
  3. applicants
Noun
  • Wasserman Schultz was sharply criticized by Black community leaders and the other four candidates, who are all African American, for running in this district.
    — Caroline Linton, CBS News, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Starting corners who have been speculated as potential trade candidates this summer around the NFL include Kansas City’s Kristian Fulton and Denver’s Riley Moss.
    — Jon Machota, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of candidates
Noun
  • 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
  • The Cubs have stabilized after a roller-coaster ride the first three months and are now serious World Series contenders with the Los Angeles Dodgers proving fallible.
    — Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of contenders
Noun
  • As of July 29th, more than 120,000 eligible applicants are awaiting additional funding.
    — Lacey Beasley, CBS News, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Granted, the math can be contextually questioned, since money-losing programs still tend to attract applicants, improve admissions yield, boost fundraising efforts with alumni and generate media attention.
    — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of applicants

Browse Nearby Words

hopefulness
hopefuls
hopeless
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Cite this Entry

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

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