finalist

American  

[fahyn-l-ist] / ˈfaɪn l ɪst /

noun

1. a person entitled to participate in the final or decisive contest in a series, as in musical or athletic competition.

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finalist British  

/ ˈfaɪnəlɪst /

noun

1. a contestant who has reached the last and decisive stage of a sports or other competition

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Etymology

Origin of finalist

First recorded in 1895–1900; final + -ist

Explanation

A finalist is a competitor who reaches the final game, match, or tournament. If your favorite sports team wins in the semi-finals, it means they're a finalist in the last game. A spelling bee finalist is likely to face some really tricky words, and a finalist in a pie-eating contest must be unbelievably good at quick chewing and swallowing. If you don't expect to win even one game in a chess competition, you'll be shocked to find yourself a finalist. An earlier meaning of the word was "one who believes the end has been reached."

Example Sentences

First produced in New York by Second Stage off-Broadway, the play was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2009.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 7, 2026

The series was a finalist for the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

Can you name every Women's League Cup finalist?

From BBC • Mar. 27, 2026

Australian Open champion Rybakina was the losing finalist in Miami in both 2023 and 2024, while her American opponent was runner-up in last year's competition.

From BBC • Mar. 25, 2026

Irina Solovieva was 24 when she became a finalist for cosmonaut training.

From "Women in Space" by Karen Bush Gibson