finalist

[ fahyn-l-ist ]

/ ˈfaɪn l ɪst /

Save This Word!

noun

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

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON "IS" VS. "ARE"

"Is" it time for a new quiz? "Are" you ready? Then prove your excellent skills on using "is" vs. "are."

Question 1 of 7

IS and ARE are both forms of which verb?

have

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of finalist

First recorded in 1895–1900; final + -ist

Words nearby finalist

final cut, finale, Final Four, final host, finalism, finalist, finality, finalize, finally, final motor neuron, finals

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use finalist in a sentence

In 2002, 16th seed Thomas Johansson of Sweden won his lone Grand Slam title in Melbourne, and unseeded finalists Marcos Baghdatis and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga advanced to the final in 2006 and 2008, respectively.
The Australian Open Isn’t All That Friendly To Underdogs|Jonathon Braden|February 12, 2021|FiveThirtyEight
In a year like no other, the finalists for the Digiday Video and TV Awards broke new ground.
Comedy Central Digital, VH1 and Johnson & Johnson top this year’s Digiday Video and TV Awards shortlist|Melissa Hayes|February 9, 2021|Digiday
A two-time finalist for the Gerald Loeb Award, Deam was part of the team that became a finalist for Pulitzer Prize for breaking news in 2018 for coverage of Hurricane Harvey.
ProPublica Hires Jenny Deam to Cover Health Care|by ProPublica|February 5, 2021|ProPublica
Carroll has won dozens of journalism awards, including being part of a team at the Chronicle named as finalists for the Pulitzer Prize.
Susan Carroll Hired as a Senior Editor for ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network|by ProPublica|February 2, 2021|ProPublica

His other finalists were Minnesota, Iowa State, Florida and Florida State.
Undefeated Gonzaga is staring down history, but its final exam won’t arrive until March|John Feinstein|January 27, 2021|Washington Post
For months, I struggled with the decision and after being rejected as a finalist from a fellowship I found myself at a crossroads.
There’s No Better Test for Millennials than the American City|Michael Tubbs|April 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The duo also thanked mentor—and former CVFF finalist—Prabal Gurung for his assistance and support.
CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Honors Emerging Talent|Erin Cunningham|November 12, 2013|DAILY BEAST
We learn that Rachel is a finalist for the part of Fanny Brice in the revival of Funny Girl.
The First ‘Glee’ Without Cory Monteith Was Blissfully Joyous|Kevin Fallon|September 27, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The 2013 fiction judges: Charles Baxter was a finalist for the National Book Award in fiction in 2000 for The Feast of Love.
The National Book Awards Longlist for Fiction||September 19, 2013|DAILY BEAST
René Steinke was a 2005 National Book Award finalist in fiction for her novel Holy Skirts.
The National Book Awards Longlist for Fiction||September 19, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The effect of that was that Alan Macfie, the other semi-finalist, had a bye in the morning.
Fifty Years of Golf|Horace G. Hutchinson
This reason is a logical necessity, but the logical necessity does not prove the teleological or finalist necessity.
Tragic Sense Of Life|Miguel de Unamuno
Already the finalist theory of life eludes all precise verification.
Creative Evolution|Henri Bergson
What more could the most confirmed finalist say, in order to mark out so exceptional a physico-chemistry?
Creative Evolution|Henri Bergson
The finalist or teleological conception is not any more tenable, for Evolution is not simply the realization of a plan.
Bergson and His Philosophy|J. Alexander Gunn

British Dictionary definitions for finalist

finalist

/ (ˈfaɪnəlɪst) /

noun

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012