as in competitors
one who strives for the same thing as another
the third-party challenger in the presidential election
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Recent Examples of challengers
His two challengers, Francisco Tamayo and Yair Gersten, come from more Democratic backgrounds, setting up a race that could reshape the ideological balance at City Hall.
—
Walker Armstrong, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Apr. 2026
There is something comforting, to me, about this churn of champions and challengers.
—Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 26 Apr. 2026
But that confidence may be put to a test as potential challengers included in the survey posted stronger favorability scores than Johnson — though the city residents surveyed displayed significant levels of unfamiliarity with those possible rivals.
—Rick Pearson, Chicago Tribune, 26 Apr. 2026
Kean does not face any challengers in the Republican primary slated for June 2.
—Lauren Peller, ABC News, 24 Apr. 2026
Several strong party challengers, backed by Democratic dollars, were also vying for the nomination in the May primaries.
—Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 23 Apr. 2026
Boldly returned for the second period with an exclamation point, setting up Minnesota’s tying goal by weaving around four Dallas challengers, and pulling Oettinger outside the crease, before passing to Eriksson Ek, who had an open net to hit for his third goal of the playoffs.
—Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 23 Apr. 2026
In some cases, those young challengers have outraised the incumbent.
—Stephen Fowler, NPR, 23 Apr. 2026
Conservatives voiced criticism of the legislation on social media and in interviews and even formed a new PAC to back primary challengers to the bill’s backers.
—Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 22 Apr. 2026
Walker Armstrong, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Apr. 2026
There is something comforting, to me, about this churn of champions and challengers.
—Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 26 Apr. 2026
But that confidence may be put to a test as potential challengers included in the survey posted stronger favorability scores than Johnson — though the city residents surveyed displayed significant levels of unfamiliarity with those possible rivals.
—Rick Pearson, Chicago Tribune, 26 Apr. 2026
Kean does not face any challengers in the Republican primary slated for June 2.
—Lauren Peller, ABC News, 24 Apr. 2026
Several strong party challengers, backed by Democratic dollars, were also vying for the nomination in the May primaries.
—Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 23 Apr. 2026
Boldly returned for the second period with an exclamation point, setting up Minnesota’s tying goal by weaving around four Dallas challengers, and pulling Oettinger outside the crease, before passing to Eriksson Ek, who had an open net to hit for his third goal of the playoffs.
—Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 23 Apr. 2026
In some cases, those young challengers have outraised the incumbent.
—Stephen Fowler, NPR, 23 Apr. 2026
Conservatives voiced criticism of the legislation on social media and in interviews and even formed a new PAC to back primary challengers to the bill’s backers.
—Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 22 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for challengers
Noun
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When Beijing wishes to shape the outcome of a transaction, signal displeasure, or slow the advance of foreign competitors in strategic sectors, antitrust enforcement has proven an effective tool.—
Dewardric L. McNeal,
CNBC,
28 Apr. 2026
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Chevy Bolt's electric hatchback has a huge advantage over some competitors as the least expensive new EV.—
Charles Singh,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
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As the Spurs push to win it all, showing the supporting cast is still a playoff-level team is a good sign for the Spurs’ status as true title contenders.—
Dan Santaromita,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
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Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton, the race’s overall front-runner, dismissed the Democratic contenders seeking Newsom’s seal of approval as misguided and a waste of time.—
Barnini Chakraborty,
The Washington Examiner,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Since the show eliminated a rule prohibiting contestants from winning more than five consecutive games, 20 players have won 10 or more games in a row, including Jamie Ding, the current returning champion.—
Jessica Sager,
PEOPLE,
26 Apr. 2026
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Six contestants will be forced to stay awake for 48 hours while enduring intense and nonstop challenges.—
Scott Huver,
Deadline,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Liverpool would wriggle their way back to the top of the table by March, only for the campaign to fall apart after five defeats in seven matches, a run that allowed Merseyside rivals Everton to win the league for the second time in three seasons.—
Simon Hughes,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
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Colombian presidential candidate Iván Cepeda consolidated his lead in the most recent poll and would defeat both conservative rivals in a runoff scenario, five weeks ahead of the vote.—
Oscar Medina,
Bloomberg,
27 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Challengers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/challengers. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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