contenders

noun

plural of contender
1
as in candidates
one who seeks an office, honor, position, or award a strong contender for the mayoral position

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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

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 contenders Here’s a closer look at the remaining meetings between division contenders. — Lamond Pope, Chicago Tribune, 29 Aug. 2026 The schedule ahead will brings more challenges; the Dragons face championship contenders North Crowley and Allen before District 4-6A play. — Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Aug. 2026 That’s made lavish Hollywood premiere parties in Toronto, where the champagne flowed to help toast or tout upcoming award season contenders, a thing of the past. — Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 28 Aug. 2026 Another crucial stretch against top playoff contenders — Phillies, Rays, Phillies again, Cubs — starts one week from today. — Tyler Estep, AJC.com, 28 Aug. 2026 Well, injuries – maybe their own, maybe the ones their fellow NFC contenders (especially in division) don’t suffer. — David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 27 Aug. 2026 For Buttigieg and other potential contenders, winning the support of this group that makes up a majority of South Carolina’s Democratic electorate is essential. — ABC News, 23 Aug. 2026 Supporters are circulating clips of Ossoff’s speeches, debating his prospects against other potential 2028 Democratic contenders and increasingly comparing his trajectory with Obama’s rapid rise from the Senate to the White House. — Samantha-Jo Roth, The Washington Examiner, 22 Aug. 2026 The Wolverines have a solid group of contenders in Troy Bowles, second-year players Chase Taylor and Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng and North Dakota State transfer Nathaniel Staehling, but no one has locked up a job. — Austin Meek, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contenders
  1. candidates
  2. competitors
  3. contestants
  4. rivals
  5. challengers
Noun
  • If Woltemade leaves then Wissa, Joe Willock, who is set to stay, and Jacob Ramsey are the obvious candidates to compete to play there.
    — Chris Waugh, New York Times, 1 Sep. 2026
  • During a meeting last week, officials held drawings to determine the order that candidates' names will appear on the ballot.
    — Joseph Flaherty, Arkansas Online, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of candidates
Noun
  • Compared with three of its biggest competitors—ORLY, AZO, and AAP—GPC has performed noticeably better over the last quarter and change.
    — Frank Cappelleri, CNBC, 26 Aug. 2026
  • The Winner Receives a National Prize Package The public voting rounds gradually narrow the field until the final competitors remain.
    — Ethan M. Stone, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of competitors
Noun
  • Failure to comply with the rules would result in disqualification for contestants.
    — Andrea Flores, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026
  • There are two more groups of contestants in the next round, followed by a semifinals round, and then the finals.
    — Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of contestants
Noun
  • Casemiro and Messi, fierce rivals when Casemiro was at Real Madrid and Messi at Barcelona, celebrated together, a rare sight for longtime La Liga fans.
    — Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Walmart had been slow to adopt tap-to-pay compared with rivals.
    — Kimberly Tutuska, Charlotte Observer, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of rivals
Noun
  • Both turned on whether the challengers had sued before USPS finalized its rule.
    — Luke Fountain, CNBC, 26 Aug. 2026
  • College sports’ current arms race of money, along with unrestricted transfers, is threatening to shut out rising challengers like UConn football, with rich teams now dangling lucrative offers and raiding talent like never before.
    — U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Hartford Courant, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of challengers

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Cite this Entry

“Contenders.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contenders. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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