contender
Americannoun
-
contenders
plural
-
a person or group that competes against others to win something; contestant.
The three remaining contenders for the Democratic Party nomination met for a televised debate.
-
a person or group with a good chance of success in a contest.
After last season’s disaster, the Texas team needed to convince me they were a contender.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of contender
Explanation
Baseball players, boxers, politicians: each is a contender in that they compete or campaign to win something. Contender has a slightly different meaning than competitor, often implying a more vigorous, even scrappier, sense of taking on every unexpected challenge. The most famous use of contender is Marlon Brando's quote in the film On The Waterfront. Brando plays a once promising boxer whose career has been ruined by a fixed fight. "I coulda been a contender!" Brando cried, implying he could have been the boxer whom everyone wanted to defeat.
Vocabulary lists containing contender
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The Greatest: Muhammad Ali
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Ungifted
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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.
See Examples For:
Frequently floated as a 2028 contender, Ossoff adopted a fighter’s stance at his campaign events.
From Salon ● Nov. 4, 2026
The Georgia Democrat is considered a potential leading contender if he throws his hat in the ring.
From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026
Georgia, a perennial top-10 program and national championship contender, typically recruits passers of Matthew Stafford-level pedigree.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 26, 2026
In the latest informal straw poll held last week to gauge which candidates have a shot of becoming the next UN Secretary General, every contender received an effective veto.
From Barron's ● Oct. 21, 2026
"I've never been a contender in these Games anyway."
From "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins
Talks with Willkie fell apart late last Thursday, and there were no other contenders.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026
And he believes Hearts are "absolutely title contenders" this term under new head coach Wouter Vrancken.
From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2026
“Ink” “As in the best picture category, ‘The Odyssey’ will certainly face off here against several of the strongest top contenders of the year: ‘La Bola Negra,’ ‘Dune: Part Three’ and ‘The Invite.’
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 26, 2026
Here, BBC Sport takes a closer look at the contenders who could be up for the job.
From BBC ● Oct. 26, 2026
From a scramble of contenders I got one of the jugs, elbowed off a counterattack, opened it, sampled it, choked, and then went through with my original plan by stopping Brinker’s mouth with it.
From "A Separate Peace" by John Knowles
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
