contender

[ kuhn-ten-der ]

noun

1. 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.

2. 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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of contender¹

contend ( def ) + -er ¹( def )

Example Sentences

There’s a possibility Brody and Nicole Kidman, lead actress winner for “The Hours” in 2003, could repeat together, since Kidman is a contender for “Babygirl.”

From Los Angeles Times

While Trump has yet to officially name his choice for secretary of state, Florida Senator Marco Rubio – another China hawk – appears to be the leading contender for the top diplomatic job.

From BBC

Mexican-American songwriter-producer Edgar Barrera leads the contender list once again, with nine nominations this year, including songwriter of the year and producer of the year.

From Los Angeles Times

A bizarre throw-in from Arsenal's Jurrien Timber, and a goal of the season contender from Brentford's Yoane Wissa feature in this week's '2 Good, 2 Bad' from Match of the Day 2.

From BBC

They’ve proved it with their most autobiographical album, ‘Hit Me Hard and Soft,’ a strong contender for the 67th Grammy Awards.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• adversary
• challenger
• competition
• contestant
• opponent
• rival