finalist

noun

fi·​nal·​ist ˈfī-nə-list How to pronounce finalist (audio)
: a contestant in a competition finals

Examples of finalist in a Sentence

They interviewed all of the finalists before making a decision. a finalist in the tennis tournament
Recent Examples on the Web The search process will include conducting a community survey on the chief’s job, running social media ads to woo potential applicants, and checking the finalists’ credit histories, according to the firm’s contract with the city’s personnel department. Libor Jany, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2024 Players will be able to compete in the qualifier rounds March 28-April 5, which will be followed by multiple knockout stages with challenges that decide the 10 finalists who will participate in the grand finale. Jennifer Maas, Variety, 19 Mar. 2024 But a week after the finalists' presentations, the board scratched the search in lieu of hiring a temporary district leader: Elizabeth Lolli, former superintendent of Dayton Public Schools. The Enquirer, 17 Mar. 2024 In 2022, Jackson was among the finalists for the superintendent's position in the Little Rock School District. Mallory Wyatt/texarkana Gazette, arkansasonline.com, 15 Mar. 2024 Consider 23-year-old Juan Sánchez and Amir Garrett, a seven-year veteran, the finalists for one of the last remaining spots in the Giants’ bullpen. Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 15 Mar. 2024 Weber went on to become The Bachelor and ended his season by breaking off his engagement to finalist Hannah Ann Sluss in order to pursue a relationship with another contestant, Madison Prewett. Dana Rose Falcone, Peoplemag, 12 Mar. 2024 Sacramento is returning 17 players this year, including Russell Cicerone, their leading goal scorer and league player of the year finalist. Chris Biderman, Sacramento Bee, 8 Mar. 2024 Nacua and Turner were finalists for the NFL offensive and defensive rookie-of-the-year awards. Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'finalist.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1898, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of finalist was in 1898

Dictionary Entries Near finalist

Cite this Entry

“Finalist.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/finalist. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

finalist

noun
fi·​nal·​ist ˈfīn-ᵊl-əst How to pronounce finalist (audio)
: a contestant in the finals of a competition

More from Merriam-Webster on finalist

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