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finalist

American

[fahyn-l-ist] / ˈfaɪn l ɪst /

noun

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

finalist British

/ 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

Etymology

Origin of finalist

First recorded in 1895–1900; final + -ist

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.

Wildcard Berrettini, the 2021 Wimbledon finalist making his way back up the rankings after a lengthy injury lay-off, said it was "one of the best performances of my life".

From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026

During last season, Nacua earned All-Pro honors and was a finalist for NFL offensive player of the year.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 2, 2026

He was a finalist for an Online Journalism Award for his coverage of Simone Biles, and his co-produced series on topical political issues was a Webby Award honoree.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026

She was part of a team that was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2020 for its investigation into Amazon, and was the winner of the 2021 Gerald Loeb Award for Beat Reporting.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 2026

He was now a finalist in the competition; would Mac write him another essay?

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023