contend

verb

kən-ˈtend How to pronounce contend (audio)
Definition of contendnext
1
as in to compete
to engage in a contest two traditional rivals contending for the championship

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in to argue
to state (something) as a reason in support of or against something under consideration contended that the senator's considerable experience made him the best candidate

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in to insist
to state as a fact usually forcefully contended that his opponent was wrong about practically everything

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 contend These schools are not built to contend for more than a season or two in a row without sharp fluctuations year-to-year. — Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 6 Oct. 2026 The documentary, the first selected by Pakistan to contend at the Oscars, revisits a dramatic August 2023 cable car emergency in Battagram in northern Pakistan. — Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 5 Oct. 2026 Her parents' lawsuit contends the military did not sign off on the work; the soldiers were freelancing as security guards to make some extra money on the side. — David Folkenflik, NPR, 4 Oct. 2026 But the offensive fit of Antetokounmpo next to Bam Adebayo does not look seamless on the surface, and Antetokounmpo will need to stay healthy all season for Miami to contend. — Doug Haller, New York Times, 3 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for contend
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contend
  1. compete
  2. argue
  3. insist
  4. reason
  5. allege
  6. plead
  7. claim
  8. assert
Verb
  • Travel retail is no longer a price-value proposition that competes just with the high street, but also with platforms such as Amazon, Rakuten and Tmall around the globe.
    — Jennifer Weil, Footwear News, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Colors are neutral and echo the surroundings rather than competing with them—stone-gray throw blankets and pillows, beige arm chairs, white walls–and artwork is at a minimum, maybe a tasteful landscape photograph in a simple black frame.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of compete
Verb
  • Marc Elias has argued dozens of cases around mail-in balloting and election access across the country and in front of the Supreme Court over the last decade.
    — Max Tani, semafor.com, 5 Oct. 2026
  • His complaint argues that the plural title invites audiences to suspect a second culprit besides Mun.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of argue
Verb
  • The president and his allies have insisted that existing liability laws offer enough protections.
    — Jeff Masonand Michael Shepard Bloomberg, Arkansas Online, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Ribera insists that this misunderstands the European perspective.
    — Justin Worland, Time, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of insist
Verb
  • The model had to reason about a structured but unfamiliar environment using the information available through the game’s underlying protocol.
    — Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 4 Oct. 2026
  • This makes generalization and AGI key concepts when reasoning about the speed of progress.
    — Geoffrey Irving, Time, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of reason
Verb
  • In court on Saturday, prosecutor Mark Luckett alleged that the two men were in contact with an Iranian national, most likely operating from within Iran.
    — Issy Ronald, CNN Money, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Amazon alleged that Muse stores customer credentials and scrapes account data, among other issues.
    — Caleigh Keating, CNBC, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of allege
Verb
  • Mike Smith, who pleaded guilty, was accused of making millions in royalties off a scheme that involved using bots to artificially inflate plays of his songs.
    — Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 7 Oct. 2026
  • An Afghan national who lived in Fort Worth pleaded guilty in federal court Tuesday to threatening to conduct a suicide attack in November 2025, according to a Department of Justice news release.
    — Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of plead
Verb
  • Taiwan and China split after a civil war in 1949, but Beijing claims the island as part of its own territory.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 6 Oct. 2026
  • If the nightlife hasn’t got the better of you, rise early to claim the four-poster wooden daybed at ground level and order sushi from Seltz Champagne Bar.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of claim
Verb
  • Strong will have to assert herself vocally, as well as with the ball.
    — Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Emirati prosecutors opened an investigation after a co-pilot stabbed his captain mid-flight, asserting jurisdiction over a crime that also concerns Saudi Arabia and Israel.
    — Mohammed Sergie, semafor.com, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of assert

Phrases Containing contend

Browse Nearby Words

contemptuousness
contend
contended
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Contend.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contend. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
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
name tags
Words Named After People Quiz Find out who’s behind "leotard," "morphine," an...
See All