finalist

noun

Definition of finalistnext
1
as in champion

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Dissimilar Words
2
as in semifinalist

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Dissimilar Words

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 finalist Notre Dame lost its Heisman finalist from last season in running back Jeremiyah Love, but sophomore quarterback CJ Carr is the preseason Heisman favorite this season. — Dan Santaromita, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026 Celebrini was also a finalist for the Ted Lindsay Award, given to the NHL’s most outstanding player as voted by the NHLPA. — Curtis Pashelka, Mercury News, 26 Aug. 2026 When a finalist scores exceptionally high on technical skills but shows multiple interpersonal red flags, don’t let the technical score override your concerns. — Harvard Business Review, 24 Aug. 2026 The finalist images document the consequences of overfishing and bycatch, the impact of pollution on marine mammals and the killing of pilot whales in the Faroe Islands, a practice known as grindadráp. — Cecilia Rodriguez, Forbes.com, 23 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for finalist
Recent Examples of Synonyms for finalist
  1. champion
  2. semifinalist
  3. champ
  4. placer
  5. winner
  6. conqueror
Noun
  • The 24-time Grand Slam champion appeared to suffer a cramp in his left foot, threw up, and took a medical time-out to have his back massaged between the fourth and fifth sets before losing to Argentine player Mariano Navone.
    — Aaron Short, Curbed, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Born without hands or feet, Volpentest became one of the most successful Paralympic sprinters in history — a four-time Paralympic gold medalist and five-time world champion sprinter.
    — Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of champion
Noun
  • The first team preseason All-American is a reason why Indiana could get over the hump in winning the Joe Moore Award this season after checking in as a semifinalist last year.
    — Tom Layberger, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Pacifica, a semifinalist last season in Division 10, took a 7-0 lead on the first play of the second quarter.
    — Dan Albano, Oc Register, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of semifinalist
Noun
  • Next up is another ex champ, Borussia Mönchengladbach, away on Saturday.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 Sep. 2026
  • The five-time Masters champ took a break soon after and traveled to Switzerland for rehab treatment.
    — Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of champ
Noun
  • Most of the early mining there consisted of placer mining — extracting minerals from sand and gravel in river beds — and mining declined during the Civil War.
    — John Meyer, Denver Post, 26 July 2026
  • Its breakout star is Parker Schnabel, a thirty-one-year-old who runs a placer mine in the Yukon that brought in fifty-one million dollars last year.
    — Jennifer Wilson, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
Definition of placer
Noun
  • Excelling with Reichard, paired with his punting upside as the former Ray Guy Award winner at Georgia, pushed him over the hump.
    — Alec Lewis, New York Times, 31 Aug. 2026
  • The winners of the competition received passes to attend the Worldcon and spent some time at the IEEE booth.
    — Thomas Coughlin, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of winner
Noun
  • The plot of the original YouTube series began to follow the Skibidi Toilets, a conqueror race armed with futuristic weaponry and an intention to colonize the galaxy.
    — Kyle MacNeill, Rolling Stone, 6 Aug. 2026
  • One stronghold after another has fallen to the ruthless conqueror Nobunaga Oda—often celebrated as the first great unifier of Japan but here cast as a largely offscreen mega-villain.
    — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 30 July 2026
Definition of conqueror

Browse Nearby Words

finales
finalist
finalists
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Cite this Entry

“Finalist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/finalist. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

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