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.
There might be renewed discussions between Keppel and StarHub, with the latter widely viewed as the other main contender for M1.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026
“The Balusters,” would be a strong awards contender in any season.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 8, 2026
Yet as more data arrives, Summit’s drug is looking less a Keytruda killer than a contender for a slice of its market.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 6, 2026
Peru's leftist presidential contender told AFP Friday that he wants "respectful" relations with US President Donald Trump, extending an olive branch ahead of Sunday's tight runoff election.
From Barron's • Jun. 5, 2026
If there were an innumeracy-of-the- year award, this statement would be a strong contender for it.
From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos
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.
