1
as in candidates
one who seeks an office, honor, position, or award
a strong contender for the mayoral position
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in competitors
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
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Recent Examples of contenders
Yet Harris lingers near the top of the 2028 Democratic presidential contenders in most polling because the party lacks viable alternatives with comparable name identification.
—
W. James Antle Iii, The Washington Examiner, 12 Sep. 2025
With seven races remaining in the Xfinity Series season, Eckes is ready to play spoiler and steal a victory from one of the playoff contenders.
—Joseph Wolkin, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
Last season, Detroit was among the teams mentioned as Super Bowl contenders throughout the season.
—Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025
For both National League West contenders, things could be worse.
—Dennis Lin, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2025
Two great offenses, two really strong defenses, past two league MVPs in Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen, and two top-tier Super Bowl contenders in a rematch of last year’s divsional playoff game won by the Bills, 27-25, in snowy Buffalo.
—Greg Cote
september 4, Miami Herald, 4 Sep. 2025
Philly is likely to put together another terrific year but there are an ample number of contenders for their championship.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 4 Sep. 2025
That’s left Venice as the de facto launching pad for major Oscar contenders from Netflix, an enviable position given that the streamer has continued to shell out big bucks to A-list auteurs in its quest to finally land a best picture statuette.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 3 Sep. 2025
Other contenders included the Pioneers, Steers, Stars, Mokans, Tornados, Mavericks, Bulls, Plainsmen, Wranglers, Mohawks, Hunters and Scouts.
—Daniel Desrochers, Kansas City Star, 8 Jan. 2025
W. James Antle Iii, The Washington Examiner, 12 Sep. 2025
With seven races remaining in the Xfinity Series season, Eckes is ready to play spoiler and steal a victory from one of the playoff contenders.
—Joseph Wolkin, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
Last season, Detroit was among the teams mentioned as Super Bowl contenders throughout the season.
—Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025
For both National League West contenders, things could be worse.
—Dennis Lin, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2025
Two great offenses, two really strong defenses, past two league MVPs in Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen, and two top-tier Super Bowl contenders in a rematch of last year’s divsional playoff game won by the Bills, 27-25, in snowy Buffalo.
—Greg Cote
september 4, Miami Herald, 4 Sep. 2025
Philly is likely to put together another terrific year but there are an ample number of contenders for their championship.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 4 Sep. 2025
That’s left Venice as the de facto launching pad for major Oscar contenders from Netflix, an enviable position given that the streamer has continued to shell out big bucks to A-list auteurs in its quest to finally land a best picture statuette.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 3 Sep. 2025
Other contenders included the Pioneers, Steers, Stars, Mokans, Tornados, Mavericks, Bulls, Plainsmen, Wranglers, Mohawks, Hunters and Scouts.
—Daniel Desrochers, Kansas City Star, 8 Jan. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contenders
Noun
-
Suspicious activity could lead to the disqualification of candidates and a permanent suspension of the Athlete of the Week poll.—
Nathan Canilao,
Mercury News,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Her comments come as Democrats face a leadership crossroads in Washington, with long-serving figures under scrutiny and younger candidates pushing for change.—
Samantha-Jo Roth,
The Washington Examiner,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
In the case of merchant AI chips, that's Nvidia thanks in large part to a massive software ecosystem that serves as a competitive moat against other competitors like AMD.—
Zev Fima,
CNBC,
8 Sep. 2025
-
The company was losing bids because their competitors weren’t including that low-value, unwanted work in their quotes.—
Adam Coffey,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The remaining contestants make this pact that whoever wins is going to support his widow with financial help, and Stebbins immediately is on board to help in any way possible with the rest of the boys.—
Leia Mendoza,
Variety,
13 Sep. 2025
-
The Chinese artist will bring his expertise as a glonal artist to guide the contestants through this crucial semi-final stage.—
Laura Sirikul,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Over the last three years both Teck and Anglo have been takeover targets for their mining rivals, Australia’s BHP and Swiss-based Glencore.—
Tim Treadgold,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
-
The product launches demonstrate how Europe’s legacy manufacturers are taking the fight to their Chinese rivals, in a bid to both retain market share in the European Union and offset declining sales in China, the world’s largest car market.—
Sam Meredith,
CNBC,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Every 50 years, the gates between the two open, allowing 50 challengers to embark on a deadly quest to traverse between them.—
Clare Mulroy,
USA Today,
12 Sep. 2025
-
This home is within Trustee Area 2, in which incumbent Pam Costa successfully ran against two challengers last year.—
Jennah Pendleton,
Sacbee.com,
12 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Contenders.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contenders. Accessed 15 Sep. 2025.
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