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
From familiar faces to unexpected challengers, here’s who’s running for Senate and Congress.
—
Kurtcia Collazo, IndyStar, 9 Feb. 2026
In the other five City Council races, challengers will try to unseat incumbents.
—Roger Vincent, Los Angeles Times, 8 Feb. 2026
Beyond Bass, the race now includes a crowded and ideologically diverse field of challengers who have already filed to run.
—Teresa Liu, Daily News, 7 Feb. 2026
But challengers Marcos Vélez, a Houston labor leader, and political newcomer Courtney Head say three decades of Democratic statewide losses demand a break from the past and a new generation of leadership.
—Karen Brooks Harper, Dallas Morning News, 7 Feb. 2026
But Bass had appeared to avoid heavyweight challengers before Raman’s announcement threw the mayoral race for a loop.
—Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 7 Feb. 2026
In addition to legal challenges, Cherfilus-McCormick faces political challengers.
—Anthony Man, Sun Sentinel, 7 Feb. 2026
Starbucks has other challengers, like the fast-growing drive-thru chains 7 Brew, Scooter’s Coffee and Dutch Bros.
—Dee-Ann Durbin, Fortune, 31 Jan. 2026
Levine Cava was reelected in 2024 by a wide margin over a mostly Republican field of challengers.
—Garrett Shanley, Miami Herald, 31 Jan. 2026
Kurtcia Collazo, IndyStar, 9 Feb. 2026
In the other five City Council races, challengers will try to unseat incumbents.
—Roger Vincent, Los Angeles Times, 8 Feb. 2026
Beyond Bass, the race now includes a crowded and ideologically diverse field of challengers who have already filed to run.
—Teresa Liu, Daily News, 7 Feb. 2026
But challengers Marcos Vélez, a Houston labor leader, and political newcomer Courtney Head say three decades of Democratic statewide losses demand a break from the past and a new generation of leadership.
—Karen Brooks Harper, Dallas Morning News, 7 Feb. 2026
But Bass had appeared to avoid heavyweight challengers before Raman’s announcement threw the mayoral race for a loop.
—Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 7 Feb. 2026
In addition to legal challenges, Cherfilus-McCormick faces political challengers.
—Anthony Man, Sun Sentinel, 7 Feb. 2026
Starbucks has other challengers, like the fast-growing drive-thru chains 7 Brew, Scooter’s Coffee and Dutch Bros.
—Dee-Ann Durbin, Fortune, 31 Jan. 2026
Levine Cava was reelected in 2024 by a wide margin over a mostly Republican field of challengers.
—Garrett Shanley, Miami Herald, 31 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for challengers
Noun
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Others argue that too-stringent export controls merely hand the market over to Chinese competitors.—
Morgan Chalfant,
semafor.com,
11 Feb. 2026
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Milan-Cortina is not far off with women making up 47% of the competitors slated to attend.—
Dana ONeil,
CNN Money,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The John Stockton-Karl Malone teams in 1990s were regular championship contenders, making the NBA Finals in 1997 and 1998.—
Mark Anderson,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Feb. 2026
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Beyond those two and Paddack, the Marlins’ rotation contenders include Max Meyer, Braxton Garrett, Janson Junk, Adam Mazur, Ryan Gusto, Robby Snelling, Thomas White, Bradley Blalock and Dax Fulton for the final two spots — and potentially a long relief/swingman role in the bullpen.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
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It could be argued that Stephenie LaGrossa endured more on her first season of Survivor than any other of the more than 750 contestants to get up off the couch.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
8 Feb. 2026
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Kayley finished first among the pool of middle and high school contestants in Peters’ 50th Congressional District, which includes La Jolla.—
Noah Lyons,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Laporta wanted to disassociate himself completely from the project and Barca’s strongest rivals before club members go to the polls.—
Laia Cervelló Herrero,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
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The Celtics entered Sunday with a one-game lead over their Atlantic Division rivals, but the Knicks dominated this matchup, building a 20-point fourth-quarter lead before C’s head coach Joe Mazzulla pulled his starters with five minutes remaining.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
8 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Challengers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/challengers. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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