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
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.
"There's no real contender, no crown prince within the party, so the current situation will increase internal power struggles," suggested Christine Cordsen, political analyst at public broadcaster DR.
From Barron's • Mar. 25, 2026
House contender and a Cook County commissioner, lost.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 18, 2026
Keith Andrews has done that and then some, guiding the west London outfit to seventh place on the Premier League's lowest wage budget and making himself an early contender for manager of the season.
From BBC • Mar. 16, 2026
Another contender, former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, overlaps with Villaraigosa when it comes to biographical details: Both are from the L.A. area, Latino and relatively close in age.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 16, 2026
"I've never been a contender in these Games anyway."
From "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins
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.
