as in candidates
one who seeks an office, honor, position, or award
the three mayoral hopefuls are going to debate on local TV
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hopefuls
Key Netflix films have gotten short runs in theaters before, such as Rian Johnson’s Knives Out movies and awards hopefuls.
—
Aaron Couch, HollywoodReporter, 20 May 2026
Any number of East hopefuls could go after him.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 19 May 2026
Press briefings by the two potential presidential hopefuls offer a view of their contrasting styles.
—Cat Zakrzewski, Washington Post, 19 May 2026
Alameda resident Barack Denzel Obama Shaw, 56, is among the more unusual names on California’s crowded June 2 gubernatorial primary ballot, which includes 61 candidates and hopefuls such as Thunder Parley and LivingForGod AndCountry Demott.
—Chase Hunter, Mercury News, 18 May 2026
Some cabbie hopefuls try dozens of times over years to pass the test.
—Anderson Cooper, CBS News, 17 May 2026
The best sightings will come from where the aurora is directly overhead, but hopefuls can catch sight of the light show from up to 1000 km away.
—Alana Wise, NPR, 16 May 2026
With Prime Minister Keir Starmer facing a rebellion and resignation calls from within his own party, Sky’s comedy series featured leadership hopefuls gatecrashing 10 Downing Street.
—Jake Kanter, Deadline, 16 May 2026
Thick deposits of the isotope will be music to the ears of helium-3 hopefuls.
—Robin George Andrews, Scientific American, 14 May 2026
Aaron Couch, HollywoodReporter, 20 May 2026
Any number of East hopefuls could go after him.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 19 May 2026
Press briefings by the two potential presidential hopefuls offer a view of their contrasting styles.
—Cat Zakrzewski, Washington Post, 19 May 2026
Alameda resident Barack Denzel Obama Shaw, 56, is among the more unusual names on California’s crowded June 2 gubernatorial primary ballot, which includes 61 candidates and hopefuls such as Thunder Parley and LivingForGod AndCountry Demott.
—Chase Hunter, Mercury News, 18 May 2026
Some cabbie hopefuls try dozens of times over years to pass the test.
—Anderson Cooper, CBS News, 17 May 2026
The best sightings will come from where the aurora is directly overhead, but hopefuls can catch sight of the light show from up to 1000 km away.
—Alana Wise, NPR, 16 May 2026
With Prime Minister Keir Starmer facing a rebellion and resignation calls from within his own party, Sky’s comedy series featured leadership hopefuls gatecrashing 10 Downing Street.
—Jake Kanter, Deadline, 16 May 2026
Thick deposits of the isotope will be music to the ears of helium-3 hopefuls.
—Robin George Andrews, Scientific American, 14 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hopefuls
Noun
-
The two candidates who advance to the general election would be wise to offer Californians a hope for the future that doesn’t call back to our yesterdays.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
15 May 2026
-
Becerra went from polling in the single digits before the fallout in early April to being among the top gubernatorial candidates.—
James Ward,
USA Today,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
By any interpretation, Euphoria had established itself as one of HBO’s top-performing awards contenders.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
22 May 2026
-
Through best-of-three trials, eight remaining contenders will advance to Oklahoma City.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
21 May 2026
Noun
-
But the 2023 decision promulgated the racist myth that the plaintiffs had been rejected in favor of less qualified Black and Brown applicants.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 May 2026
-
The difference in median MCAT scores between the white and Black applicants accepted at UCLA, Simpson points out, could be as few as seven answers on a test with 230 questions.—
Business Columnist,
Los Angeles Times,
20 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hopefuls.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hopefuls. Accessed 24 May. 2026.
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