contender
Americannoun
-
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.
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.
Talley’s boss, Mike Collins, is the leading contender to take on Democrat Jon Ossoff in November’s Senate midterm elections.
From Slate • May 28, 2026
Like Johnson in “The Smashing Machine,” Gyllenhaal plays an UFC contender named Elwood Dalton, who’s disgraced after a tragedy in the ring.
From Salon • May 27, 2026
Meanwhile, on the undercard in Giza, Sanchez earned a stunning knockout win against Richard Torrez Jr to become the leading contender for Usyk's IBF belt.
From BBC • May 24, 2026
Waller, who early this year had been considered a top contender to chair the central bank, joins a growing list of Fed officials who have recently ruled out a decrease in interest rates.
From MarketWatch • May 23, 2026
We needed Monica to hold on to the lead, but we knew it would be hard for her against Gregorio, who was a strong contender.
From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad
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.
