CONTENDER

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does contender mean? 

• CONTENDER (noun)
  The noun CONTENDER has 1 sense:

1. the contestant you hope to defeat

  Familiarity information: CONTENDER used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• CONTENDER (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The contestant you hope to defeat

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

challenger; competition; competitor; contender; rival

Context example:

he wanted to know what the competition was doing

Hypernyms ("contender" is a kind of...):

contestant (a person who participates in competitions)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "contender"):

champ; champion; title-holder (someone who has won first place in a competition)

comer (someone with a promising future)

finalist (a contestant who reaches the final stages of a competition)

enemy; foe (a personal enemy)

favorite; favourite; front-runner (a competitor thought likely to win)

king; queen; world-beater (a competitor who holds a preeminent position)

runner-up; second best (the competitor who finishes second)

scratch (a competitor who has withdrawn from competition)

semifinalist (one of four competitors remaining in a tournament by elimination)

street fighter (a contestant who is very aggressive and willing to use underhand methods)

tier (any one of two or more competitors who tie one another)

tilter (someone who engages in a tilt or joust)

Derivation:

contend (compete for something; engage in a contest; measure oneself against others)

 Context examples 

It is not clear exactly what causes it, but there is currently no cure, and no obvious contenders for prevention either.

(Eat Chocolate for Steady Heartbea, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)