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.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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.
See Examples For:
The all-time great has every right to take his time in deciding on what NBA team to join, but if he wants to play for a contender, it’s not Golden State.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
In remixing one of cinema’s most revered classics with singular comedic flair, Wain has made a contender for his best film that succeeds by tributing his own loony industry.
From Salon ● Jul. 12, 2026
Meanwhile, another story says the sole contender for the Labour leadership Andy Burnham will set out his plans to "target energy bills, bus fares and student loans within days of entering No 10".
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
A lively march to the World Cup’s round of 16 reaches a familiar end versus an extra-motivated contender.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
"He had a fight with a top contender, an Italian kid, and lost. The next day, in the papers, the contender said he won because he sang along with opera."
From "The Contender" by Robert Lipsyte
For perennial postseason contenders, a splashy offseason ideally sets up a low-key trade deadline.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
Party members anticipate presidential contenders will start to emerge after the midterm elections.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
Goldman looked at companies with a market capitalization above $2 billion and found 36 contenders, the top ten biggest of which are shown below.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026
But now the field is crowded, and the top contenders all fell short in other Maine races this year.
From Slate ● Jul. 16, 2026
Both Aly and I were in the same group as the top contenders from Russia, China, and Brazil.
From "Courage to Soar" by Simone Biles
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.
