1
as in candidates
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 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
The bay colt won the Santa Anita Derby at Southern California's Santa Anita Park last month ahead of fellow Derby contenders Potente and Intrepido, who came in second and fourth, respectively.
—
Alex Sundby, CBS News, 1 May 2026
And when two legitimate Stanley Cup contenders meet, regardless of round, desperation tends to win out.
—Mark Lazerus, New York Times, 1 May 2026
Those pilots in particular are seen as strong contenders for series orders, while the network is also considering a number of other procedural and comedy pilots.
—Joe Otterson, Variety, 1 May 2026
United should look keenly at Liverpool’s success in taking the big step from Champions League regulars to Premier League title contenders.
—Steve Kornacki, NBC news, 1 May 2026
This year, Renegade is viewed as the favorite; other top contenders are Commandment and Further Ado.
—Javier Zarracina, USA Today, 1 May 2026
Cox still has two strong contenders in the race, Further Ado and Commandment, who are both 6-1 on the morning line.
—Jay Posner, Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2026
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
Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton, the race’s overall front-runner, dismissed the Democratic contenders seeking Newsom’s seal of approval as misguided and a waste of time.
—Barnini Chakraborty, The Washington Examiner, 24 Apr. 2026
Alex Sundby, CBS News, 1 May 2026
And when two legitimate Stanley Cup contenders meet, regardless of round, desperation tends to win out.
—Mark Lazerus, New York Times, 1 May 2026
Those pilots in particular are seen as strong contenders for series orders, while the network is also considering a number of other procedural and comedy pilots.
—Joe Otterson, Variety, 1 May 2026
United should look keenly at Liverpool’s success in taking the big step from Champions League regulars to Premier League title contenders.
—Steve Kornacki, NBC news, 1 May 2026
This year, Renegade is viewed as the favorite; other top contenders are Commandment and Further Ado.
—Javier Zarracina, USA Today, 1 May 2026
Cox still has two strong contenders in the race, Further Ado and Commandment, who are both 6-1 on the morning line.
—Jay Posner, Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2026
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
Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton, the race’s overall front-runner, dismissed the Democratic contenders seeking Newsom’s seal of approval as misguided and a waste of time.
—Barnini Chakraborty, The Washington Examiner, 24 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contenders
Noun
-
The two highest-polling candidates — Hilton and Steyer — are in the mid-teens, with most of the other candidates close behind.—
Anne Bryson,
CBS News,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Mfume has not joined in the negative attack game, but Conway, like other failing candidates, has decided his only political pathway is simply to run a nasty and divisive campaign.—
Bobby Zirkin,
Baltimore Sun,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
When Beijing wishes to shape the outcome of a transaction, signal displeasure, or slow the advance of foreign competitors in strategic sectors, antitrust enforcement has proven an effective tool.—
Dewardric L. McNeal,
CNBC,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Chevy Bolt's electric hatchback has a huge advantage over some competitors as the least expensive new EV.—
Charles Singh,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
As with past years, each group of contestants had a practice round in which no one was eliminated.—
Ashley Mackin Solomon,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
2 May 2026
-
The actual crew that follows the contestants was the actual people who film it, but that episode kept getting punted.—
Sarah Shachat,
IndieWire,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
Once fierce rivals, the two men were responsible for the country’s first peaceful transfer of power between parties, after Jefferson and his Democratic-Republican Party defeated Adams and the Federalists in the election of 1800.—
Jelani Cobb,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
-
While rivals like the Tacoma and Colorado constantly reinvent themselves, Nissan tends to take the long road by refining, tweaking, and polishing instead of blowing everything up every few years.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
3 May 2026
Noun
-
The only question is how many of this three challengers will qualify by winning at least 15% of the delegate vote at a nominating convention on May 11.—
Mark Pazniokas,
Hartford Courant,
3 May 2026
-
Palmer, as well as the challengers, also support changing the city of Willow Park to a home rule charter.—
Tanya Babbar,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
3 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Contenders.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contenders. Accessed 5 May. 2026.
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