contender

noun

con·​tend·​er kən-ˈten-dər How to pronounce contender (audio)
Synonyms of contendernext
: one that contends
especially : a competitor for a championship or high honor
a heavyweight title contender
the leading presidential contenders

Synonyms of contender

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

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
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.
Age wasn't nothing but a number Moulton repeatedly tried to make the Bay State primary contest about the party's aging leadership, which has created a deluge of Gen X, millennial and Gen Z contenders running in Democratic primaries this year. — Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2026 Asking this team to go out and win a national title might be a bridge too far, but Florida was a darkhorse Playoff contender this time a year ago. — Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 2 Sep. 2026 The festival is also known for being a launch pad for Oscar contenders. — ABC News, 2 Sep. 2026 So yes, this might be a weird year for Venice, with only one safe-bet Oscars contender, Martin McDonagh’s Wild Horse Nine, on the schedule. — Nate Jones, Vulture, 2 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for contender

Word History

Etymology

contend + -er entry 2

First Known Use

1547, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of contender was in 1547

Rhymes for contender

See All Rhymes for contender

Browse Nearby Words

contend
contender
contend with
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Contender.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/contender. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of apiary

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All