contender
noun
con·tend·er
kən-ˈten-dər 
: one that contends
especially
: a competitor for a championship or high honor
a heavyweight title contender
the leading presidential contenders
Examples of contender in a Sentence
There are several contestants, but only two real contenders.
This latest defeat means that she's no longer a contender for the world title.
Recent Examples on the Web
But in the seven seasons since Sampson got things rolling in 2018, Houston has arguably been better than Kansas and most perennial contenders: No program has won more games or more regular season conference titles.
—
Cj Moore, The Athletic, 25 Feb. 2025
Rising Brazilian featherweight contender Jean Silva wants his next UFC assignment to be against Bryce Mitchell, and he's promised to make the controversial contender pay for his recent comments.
—Matt Robison, Newsweek, 25 Feb. 2025
The true-life sports biopic unleashes Leo as Alice, the loud, over-the-top matriarch of a large Boston family and manager mom to Micky Ward, a championship boxing contender trained by his drug-addict pugilist half-brother Dicky.
—Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 25 Feb. 2025
Hannah Minghella: Speaking of Bad Robot, Abrams former employee Minghella is a name that surfaced as a possible contender on Tuesday.
—James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for contender
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Cj Moore, The Athletic, 25 Feb. 2025
Rising Brazilian featherweight contender Jean Silva wants his next UFC assignment to be against Bryce Mitchell, and he's promised to make the controversial contender pay for his recent comments.
—Matt Robison, Newsweek, 25 Feb. 2025
The true-life sports biopic unleashes Leo as Alice, the loud, over-the-top matriarch of a large Boston family and manager mom to Micky Ward, a championship boxing contender trained by his drug-addict pugilist half-brother Dicky.
—Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 25 Feb. 2025
Hannah Minghella: Speaking of Bad Robot, Abrams former employee Minghella is a name that surfaced as a possible contender on Tuesday.
—James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for contender
Cite this Entry
“Contender.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/contender. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
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