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

Example Sentences

Lagos also received information about City Division II finalist Garfield, but as of Thursday night, she said the Bulldogs have been cleared to play Santee in the final.

From Los Angeles Times

Groff, a perpetual bestseller, is gifted at that: Her previous collection, “Florida,” was a National Book Award finalist, along with two of her other books that earned the honor.

From Los Angeles Times

He was a part of a team of reporters whose coverage of China's rising nationalism was a 2021 Pulitzer international reporting finalist.

From The Wall Street Journal

Kjetil Knutsen's team reached the last 16 of the biggest club competition on the planet with two wins over last year's beaten finalists -- a 5-2 aggregate victory giving them the greatest result in their history.

From Barron's

Despite the nearly unprecedented shift from the outfield to the infield, Betts played 148 games at short last season and was a Gold Glove Award finalist.

From Los Angeles Times