contender
Americannoun
-
contenders
plural
-
a person or group that competes against others to win something; contestant.
The three remaining contenders for the Democratic Party nomination met for a televised debate.
-
a person or group with a good chance of success in a contest.
After last season’s disaster, the Texas team needed to convince me they were a contender.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of contender
Explanation
Baseball players, boxers, politicians: each is a contender in that they compete or campaign to win something. Contender has a slightly different meaning than competitor, often implying a more vigorous, even scrappier, sense of taking on every unexpected challenge. The most famous use of contender is Marlon Brando's quote in the film On The Waterfront. Brando plays a once promising boxer whose career has been ruined by a fixed fight. "I coulda been a contender!" Brando cried, implying he could have been the boxer whom everyone wanted to defeat.
Vocabulary lists containing contender
Olympics Vocabulary for Champions
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The Greatest: Muhammad Ali
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Ungifted
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
And it seems to me that the country has a formidable present-day contender, the novelist Anjet Daanje.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026
However the 30-year-old would probably have to at least match his final goalscoring season for Brentford in the Championship - 25 league goals - to be a contender for the Golden Boot.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
His "spoof" contender was making him "look rather silly", Queen Mary University of London politics professor Stijn van Kessel told AFP.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
But Friedman said he’s never orchestrated a trade simply to block a fellow contender.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026
Otherwise, he could have had class; he could have been a contender.
From "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven D. Levitt
Making his first varsity start, Holohan threw for three touchdowns and ran for another as the Dolphins established themselves as early Open Division contenders.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026
Scottish Labour leadership contenders have warned about the dangers of internal feuds and briefings at their first party hustings in Glasgow.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
Of the 10 contenders, four are considered to have a real shot at the nomination.
From Slate ● Aug. 11, 2026
A candidate needs more than 50 percent of valid votes to win outright; otherwise, the top contenders face a run-off.
From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026
As we jog across Main Street, I test out question contenders inside my head.
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
