Finalist
/ˈfaɪnəlɪst/
Definitions
A competitor who has reached the final round of a contest or competition.
/ˈfaɪnəlɪst/
A person or team that reaches the final stage of a competition.
Only the top eight contestants will become finalists.
💡 Simply: Imagine a contest, like a singing show. The 'finalist' is one of the people who made it all the way to the end to compete for the prize. Like, 'He was a finalist on The Voice!'
👶 For kids: A finalist is someone who gets to the very last part of a game or contest, like the last two kids in a race.
More Examples
After weeks of intense competition, the finalists were announced.
She was thrilled to be named a finalist in the poetry contest.
How It's Used
"The two finalists will compete for the championship title."
"She was a finalist in the national spelling bee."
"The company chose three finalists for the CEO position."
From "final" (relating to the end) + "-ist" (suffix denoting a person who does something). The word emerged to describe someone who reached the final stage of a competition.
The term gained popularity with the rise of organized sports and competitions in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Memory tip
Think of the last person standing in a game show – they're the finalist!
Practice
Word Origin
Root: finis