champions 1 of 2

noun

plural of champion
1
as in champs
the person who comes in first in a competition the champion of the national spelling bee

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in proponents
a person who actively supports or favors a cause she's the biggest champion of budget reform in the Congress

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

champions

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of champion
as in advocates
to promote the interests or cause of he has always championed the protection of abused animals

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 champions
Noun
Doing all your research is important — and finding the climate champions is even more important. — Jason Thornton, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 July 2026 Brazil goes home having massively underachieved expectations set pretty much at win or bust for the five-time World Cup champions. — Stephen Whyno, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2026 After opening with a scoreless draw against Cape Verde, the reigning European champions have scored eight goals in the past three games, with Mikel Oyarzabal notching a pair of braces. — Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026 Cape Verde gave the defending champions a major scare on Friday, forcing extra time before Argentina got by via a late own goal in an epic Round of 32 confrontation. — Michael Lewis, Forbes.com, 4 July 2026 While San Francisco’s bullpen is struggling, Rogers is in the midst of another excellent season after signing a three-year, $37 million deal to join the defending American League champions. — Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 7 July 2026 Indeed, that has led to the highly unusual situation of Australia not being the defending champions in either women’s World Cup, with India holding the 50-over title and New Zealand the T20 crown. — Paul Newman, New York Times, 5 July 2026 The girls posted a 6-2 record at the state tournament in a field of 50 of Southern California’s top 12U teams with several extra-inning and walk-off wins, defeating multiple district champions, including San Juan Capistrano and Oxnard. — News Release, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 July 2026 The semi-finals follow early next week, before the FIFA World Cup final on Sunday, July 19, when the champions of the 23rd FIFA World Cup since the tournament’s inception in 1930 will be crowned. — Reeti Malhotra, Sacbee.com, 6 July 2026
Verb
It’s known for chef Barclay Dodge’s hyper-seasonal menu that champions the fertile soil of the area. — Chadner Navarro, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 June 2026 Gould champions the idea of holding dog owners accountable for properly training and containing their dogs. — Natasha Holt, FOXNews.com, 14 June 2026 The Declaration champions the right to alter or abolish government destructive of life, liberty, and happiness. — Brian Delay, Mercury News, 4 July 2026 With a mission statement that champions the customer, the economy and the environment, a single Melia Ann garment replaces two pieces that would have otherwise been produced, shipped and eventually discarded. — Elizabeth Grace Coyne, Forbes.com, 14 June 2026 The exhibition also quietly champions Miami’s creative ecosystem. — Olga Garcia-Mayoral, Miami Herald, 19 May 2026 This is the theme that will mark the 2026 edition of Homo Faber, the biennial event that champions artisanal talent by showcasing a variety of materials, techniques and skills through live demonstrations, immersive experiences and unique creations from all over the world. — Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 9 June 2026 And that includes more than 10,000 children in the Sunflower State, according to a Thursday news release from Kansas Appleseed, a nonprofit organization that champions food access and other social issues. — Laura Bauer, Kansas City Star, 29 May 2026 Eli Manning trades with an Italian legend New York Giants Super Bowl champions Eli Manning and Shaun O'Hara were on hand and exchanged stickers with Alessandro Nesta, a center back on Italy's World Cup-winning side in 2006. — Luis Miguel Echegaray, CBS News, 4 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for champions
  1. champs
  2. proponents
  3. advocates
  4. winners
  5. supporters
  6. endorses
  7. exponents
Noun
  • The Liberty are Commissioner’s Cup champs for the second time after beating a shorthanded Las Vegas team last night.
    — Chris Branch, New York Times, 1 July 2026
  • InterMiami, the defending MLS champs, are expected to repeat.
    — Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 29 June 2026
Definition of champs
Noun
  • Stream-access proponents took a similar approach in 2010, after a landowner on the Taylor River strung cables from bank to bank to keep a rafting company from floating down.
    — Dac Collins, Outdoor Life, 1 July 2026
  • Many proponents believe that access to affordable models will act as a leveler, allowing smaller enterprises to innovate, test, and gain insights in ways previously that were previously much more challenging.
    — Francesca Cassidy, Fortune, 22 June 2026
Definition of proponents
Verb
  • The group advocates for civil rights protections for Asian American and Pacific Islander communities.
    — Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 1 July 2026
  • Civil liberties advocates say Streever's email is not a threat.
    — Jude Joffe-Block, NPR, 1 July 2026
Definition of advocates
Noun
  • The winners in today’s economy are clearly involved in the development and funding of AI, including early investors, experts told CNN.
    — Bryan Mena, CNN Money, 7 July 2026
  • Some winners have consistently ranked in the awards for more than two decades; others are catching your attention for the first time.
    — Travel + Leisure Editors, Travel + Leisure, 7 July 2026
Definition of winners
Noun
  • The event is open to #LatinaGeeks members, allies and supporters.
    — Hema Sivanandam, Mercury News, 6 July 2026
  • Duplass Brothers Productions is one of the original supporters of the fund, which was created to support micro-budget feature filmmaking by transgender creators.
    — Zac Ntim, Deadline, 6 July 2026
Definition of supporters
Verb
  • The court’s 6-3 decision in Slaughter also effectively endorses the unitary executive theory, thereby greatly expanding the power of the president.
    — Graham G. Dodds, The Conversation, 30 June 2026
  • Today, the 20-minute rule remains one of the foundational pillars of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) — a treatment that Walker notes the American Academy of Sleep Medicine endorses as the first-line approach for chronic insomnia, ahead of pharmaceutical interventions.
    — Sharon Brandwein, USA Today, 27 June 2026
Definition of endorses
Noun
  • This movement, known as critical legal studies, was associated with the political left, and its exponents, known as crits, loved to disparage liberal theorists’ devotion to the Constitution as naïve and counterproductive.
    — Kelefa Sanneh, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
  • Of course, Huang wasn’t talking to just anyone, but one of the chief exponents of the wealth tax, nationwide and in California.
    — Jacqueline Munis, Fortune, 23 Apr. 2026
Definition of exponents

Browse Nearby Words

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champions
championship
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Cite this Entry

“Champions.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/champions. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on champions

Nglish: Translation of champions for Spanish Speakers

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