noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of contestant
From French, dating back to 1655–65; see origin at contest, -ant
Explanation
A contestant is someone who competes in a game or contest. Contestants in many beauty competitions need to demonstrate a talent, like singing or dancing, as well as look pretty. If you're a contestant on a TV game show, you might have to answer trivia questions, and if you're a debate contestant, you need to argue your case clearly. You can also be a contestant in a sporting competition or on a reality show. Contestant comes from the verb contest, from the French contester, "oppose," which has a Latin root, contestari, "to bring action."
Vocabulary lists containing contestant
Vocabulary of the Summer Olympics
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Out of My Mind
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Alex Trebek (1940–2020) Tribute List
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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:
"Unlike many large adult male bears, Backpack hasn't shown much aggression toward his competitors," his contestant profile says.
From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026
He lived in his small hometown about 20 miles west of Comanche and was gaining something like fame as the youngest contestant on Mudcats, a reality TV series about Oklahoma catfish noodlers.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
Former contestant Kate Butch said the show had changed their career "immeasurably"
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
And the contestant she ended up with shares the same initials as Mortensen and both men are from Idaho.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
“And our final contestant, representing our littlest people, is Claudia Odom, who wrote a sweet and funny poem she calls ‘Cornbread and Cows.’
From "Stella by Starlight" by Sharon M. Draper
This year's contestants are a mixture of famous faces from TV, film, radio and YouTube:
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
One of his best friends on the comedy circuit, Parenting Hell podcaster Rob Beckett, is another of this year's funniest contestants.
From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026
The contestants stay in a candy-themed dormitory, where they will whisper their thoughts, strategic and emotional.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026
‘The Swan’ was a spectacle called cruel and sadistic, but former contestants don’t really see it that way.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026
With so many contestants, the drops took a while, interspersed only occasionally with the cheers from a surviving team.
From "The Science of Breakable Things" by Tae Keller
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.
