contender

/kənˈtɛndər/

/kənˈtɛndə/

Other forms: contenders

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.

Definitions of contender

1. noun

   the contestant you hope to defeat
   synonyms: challenger, competition, competitor, rival

   types:

   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, nemesis

   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   a competitor who has withdrawn from competition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

   mortal enemy

   an enemy who wants to kill you

   record-breaker, record-holder

   someone or something recognized for having done something better, faster, or to a greater degree than anyone else

   type of:

   contestant

   a person who participates in competitions