contender
noun
con·tend·er
kən-ˈten-dər 
: one that contends
especially
: a competitor for a championship or high honor
a heavyweight title contender
the leading presidential contenders
Examples of contender in a Sentence
There are several contestants, but only two real contenders.
This latest defeat means that she's no longer a contender for the world title.
Recent Examples on the Web
These two teams have been Super Bowl contenders for years thanks to MVP-winning quarterbacks, though both have fallen back a bit (especially Baltimore).
—
Dan Santaromita, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2026
The four-time overall World Cup champion stunned everyone by being a contender almost immediately.
—Andrew Dampf, Arkansas Online, 9 Feb. 2026
Leerdam is considered a medal contender in both events.
—Howard Fendrich, Chicago Tribune, 8 Feb. 2026
The Seahawks have had much more success building through the draft, but even Schneider needed help to turn his roster into a contender and pulled off key trades and spent $243 million in free agency this offseason.
—Doug Kyed, Boston Herald, 7 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for contender
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.
Dan Santaromita, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2026
The four-time overall World Cup champion stunned everyone by being a contender almost immediately.
—Andrew Dampf, Arkansas Online, 9 Feb. 2026
Leerdam is considered a medal contender in both events.
—Howard Fendrich, Chicago Tribune, 8 Feb. 2026
The Seahawks have had much more success building through the draft, but even Schneider needed help to turn his roster into a contender and pulled off key trades and spent $243 million in free agency this offseason.
—Doug Kyed, Boston Herald, 7 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for contender
Cite this Entry
“Contender.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/contender. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
