contender

American  

[kuhn-ten-der] / kənˈtɛn dər /

noun

1. 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.

2. 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.

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Etymology

Origin of contender

contend ( def. ) + -er ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

Australia’s Macquarie Asset Management has emerged as the lead contender to acquire Axiata Group’s majority stake in one of the world’s biggest telecommunications tower firms.

From The Wall Street Journal

Feinstein, the state’s senior U.S. senator, had nearly been elected governor in 1990 and her lengthy deliberations froze out other potentially strong contenders.

From Los Angeles Times

"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

The figure shows that Tesla remains a key contender for European drivers in need of electric vehicles despite a monthslong slump in sales.

From The Wall Street Journal

Despite the high rankings of the two fighters, the UFC have not officially branded it a number one contender bout for the championship, which is held by Australia's Alexander Volkanovski.

From BBC

Related Words

• adversary
• challenger
• competition
• contestant
• opponent
• rival