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 Nacua and Turner were finalists for the NFL offensive and defensive rookie-of-the-year awards. Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2024 Luckily, because the other finalist had also misspelled words, Jasmine stayed in the running. Jimena Tavel, Miami Herald, 7 Mar. 2024 While most of the challenges were filmed in Wisconsin, the season finale will take place aboard a Holland America cruise ship, where finalists must create a four-course meal for the judges. Jessica Rodriguez, Journal Sentinel, 6 Mar. 2024 Before the winner is announced later this month, listen to the 10 finalists representing the best of college podcasting this year. Suzanne Nuyen, NPR, 4 Mar. 2024 Informa Markets will use its two Hong Kong jewelry trade shows to announce the finalists and honor the winners. Anthony Demarco, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 On Thursday, the commission conducted Zoom interviews with all four finalists in front of the public before entering a closed-door session to deliberate. Shomik Mukherjee, The Mercury News, 1 Mar. 2024 Each Monday, a list of finalists appears online accompanied by an online poll for the public to vote on. Journal Sentinel, 26 Feb. 2024 The reigning Mirrorball champion Xochitl Gomez performed for the opening stretch of dates through Feb. 4, after which former Bachelorette and season 32 finalist Charity Lawson took over for a brief run through Sunday. Julia Moore, Peoplemag, 21 Feb. 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 19 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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