finalist

noun

Definition of finalistnext
1
as in champion

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words
2
as in semifinalist

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of finalist The Busan Story Market (BSM) has unveiled 25 official selections for 2026, including international bestseller Hwang Bo-reum and two-time Hans Christian Andersen Award finalist Lee Geum-yi, drawing on original IP from four Asian countries. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 4 Aug. 2026 Osborne was a key member of the 2001 national champion women’s soccer team at Santa Clara as a freshman, later being named a finalist for the Hermann Trophy, collegiate soccer’s top honor, as a senior. — Bay Area News Group, Mercury News, 4 Aug. 2026 The Doak Walker finalist isn’t ready to practice just yet, Drinkwitz said. — Pj Green august 4, Kansas City Star, 4 Aug. 2026 There, Oldham—a CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund finalist—runs his fine jewelry label, while Paige works as a professor at Pratt and a technical director for Linked By Air, a design and technology studio in Brooklyn. — Christian Allaire, Vogue, 3 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for finalist
Recent Examples of Synonyms for finalist
  1. champion
  2. semifinalist
  3. champ
  4. placer
  5. winner
  6. conqueror
Noun
  • Pattinson’s ascent to the status of summer meme champion carries with it real cultural cachet.
    — David Mack, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Eventual champions Coventry City and runners-up Ipswich Town were tipped to finish fourth and third respectively before a ball had been kicked last August, via the running of 10,000 simulations of how the campaign would unfold.
    — Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of champion
Noun
  • Monterrey was a semifinalist in the 2023 Leagues Cup, which Miami went on to win in a dramatic penalty kick shootout over Nashville weeks after Messi’s arrival in MLS.
    — Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 9 Aug. 2026
  • Craig, on the other hand, joins the Hall of Fame on the senior ballot, and was a semifinalist many times since first becoming eligible in 1999.
    — John Cassillo, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of semifinalist
Noun
  • The first six games will be telling as the Knicks look to be the first repeat champs in nine years.
    — Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Zendaya is a two-time champ, but the nom is the reward this time for the star who didn’t acknowledge the recognition once during her double blockbuster promo tour blitz this summer.
    — Joyce Eng, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of champ
Noun
  • Most of the early mining there consisted of placer mining — extracting minerals from sand and gravel in river beds — and mining declined during the Civil War.
    — John Meyer, Denver Post, 26 July 2026
  • Its breakout star is Parker Schnabel, a thirty-one-year-old who runs a placer mine in the Yukon that brought in fifty-one million dollars last year.
    — Jennifer Wilson, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
Definition of placer
Noun
  • In the final, which pitted corgis against each other over 25 meters (82 feet), the winner was American competitor GG, short for Gustave the Girl Dog.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Sangare was one of the core players of the Lens side who pushed Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain hard for the French title last season, eventually coming up six points short.
    — Cerys Jones, New York Times, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of winner
Noun
  • The plot of the original YouTube series began to follow the Skibidi Toilets, a conqueror race armed with futuristic weaponry and an intention to colonize the galaxy.
    — Kyle MacNeill, Rolling Stone, 6 Aug. 2026
  • One stronghold after another has fallen to the ruthless conqueror Nobunaga Oda—often celebrated as the first great unifier of Japan but here cast as a largely offscreen mega-villain.
    — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 30 July 2026
Definition of conqueror

Browse Nearby Words

finales
finalist
finalists
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Finalist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/finalist. Accessed 17 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on finalist

Nglish: Translation of finalist for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of lackadaisical

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Is “GIF” Pronounced “Jiff” or “Giff”?

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All