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

Polls show about a fifth of voters are undecided, and neither finalist built a strong backing in the first round, when they combined for less than 30 percent of the vote.

From Barron's • Jun. 2, 2026

European giants have appeared in past Conference League finals, can you name every finalist?

From BBC • May 27, 2026

There will also be musical performances by Celebrity Traitors finalist Cat Burns and Norwegian artist Aurora, who will sing her song Through the Eyes of a Child from Adolescence during the In Memoriam section.

From BBC • May 9, 2026

However, it’s hard to see how the team, an MLS Cup finalist a year ago and the second-best club in MLS again this season, can afford to stay in Canada under the current circumstances.

From Los Angeles Times • May 8, 2026

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

From "Women in Space" by Karen Bush Gibson