1
as in candidate
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 competitor
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
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 contender
The Smoke Pit was crowned the CharlotteFive Readers’ Choice Best Barbecue restaurant in 2024, beating out a deep field of regional contenders.
—
Charlotte Observer, 30 Apr. 2026
There are several notable contenders, none of whom should feel offended by finding their way onto this list.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 30 Apr. 2026
Trump has also effectively torpedoed the political comeback of former pro-Iranian Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who had been a contender to form a government before the war.
—Alaa Shahine Salha, semafor.com, 30 Apr. 2026
The Padres spent heavily on talent, leading to high attendance and revenue growth and their status as a strong playoff contender.
—Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for contender
Charlotte Observer, 30 Apr. 2026
There are several notable contenders, none of whom should feel offended by finding their way onto this list.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 30 Apr. 2026
Trump has also effectively torpedoed the political comeback of former pro-Iranian Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who had been a contender to form a government before the war.
—Alaa Shahine Salha, semafor.com, 30 Apr. 2026
The Padres spent heavily on talent, leading to high attendance and revenue growth and their status as a strong playoff contender.
—Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for contender
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contender
Noun
-
Ross Perot, Electronic Data Systems The Texas billionaire and two-time presidential candidate may have had the most cinematic route of the bunch.—
Sydney Lake,
Fortune,
29 Apr. 2026
-
The candidates themselves must live within the district’s boundaries, which stretch across large portions of northwest and west-central Georgia and include parts of western metro Atlanta.—
Drew Kann,
AJC.com,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Shaffir hosted This Is Not Happening for three seasons before exiting the series under contentious circumstances, after deciding to sell a special to Comedy Central’s competitor, Netflix.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Anthropic overtook its competitor this week, surging to an approximate $1 trillion valuation.—
David Zimmermann,
The Washington Examiner,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Six contestants will be forced to stay awake for 48 hours while enduring intense and nonstop challenges.—
Scott Huver,
Deadline,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Hernández’s introduction note among the MGI All Stars contestants highlighted her personal story of resilience and persistence.—
Sarah Moreno,
Miami Herald,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Roster-building gamesmanship ensued between the rivals.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Brian Clough went one better with Nottingham Forest in 1977-78, winning the league and then the European Cup with Derby’s East Midlands neighbours and arch-rivals immediately upon earning promotion.—
Elias Burke,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Contender.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contender. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
