contestant

noun

con·​tes·​tant kən-ˈte-stənt 

 also  ˈkän-ˌte-

1

: one that participates in a contest

2

: one that contests an award or decision

Synonyms

• challenger
• competition
• competitor
• contender
• corrival
• rival

Examples of contestant in a Sentence

The contestant who catches the most fish wins.

The winning contestants will receive a cash prize.

Recent Examples on the Web

The host, 50, took a tumble on a recent episode of Wheel of Fortune after a contestant guessed the correct answer in the final seconds of the bonus round and got overly excited. —Liza Esquibias, People.com, 23 Jan. 2025

And competing for this five million dollars are these one-thousand contestants. —Naomi Fry, The New Yorker, 18 Jan. 2025

Seacrest, 50, was visibly startled after Ricky Brown, the winning contestant on the Wednesday, January 15 episode of Wheel, grabbed and hugged him while jumping in celebration and almost knocking the host to the ground. —Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 17 Jan. 2025

In addition to being a contestant on Special Forces, Newton is also a sports commentator on ESPN's sports-debate talk show First Take. —Devonne Goode, Parents, 17 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

contest entry 1 + -ant entry 1

First Known Use

1665, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

contestant

noun

con·​test·​ant

kən-ˈtes-tənt,

 also  ˈkän-ˌtes-

: a person who takes part in a contest

Legal Definition

contestant

noun

con·​tes·​tant

: one that initiates or participates in a contest