contend
Americanverb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
verb
-
to struggle in rivalry, battle, etc; vie
-
to argue earnestly; debate
-
(tr; may take a clause as object) to assert or maintain
Related Words
See compete.
Other Word Forms
- contender noun
- contendingly adverb
- noncontending adjective
- precontend verb (used without object)
- recontend verb (used without object)
- uncontended adjective
- uncontending adjective
Etymology
Origin of contend
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English contenden, from Anglo-French contendre, from Latin contendere “to compete, strive, draw tight,” equivalent to con- prefix meaning “with, together” + tendere “to stretch”; con-, tend 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It contends the devices bypass a 2016 state law that spells out how law enforcement agencies can use automated license plate readers, which are often referred to as ALPRs.
From Los Angeles Times
While many contend with the rising costs of mortgages, rent, and household bills, they have a free pitch for their caravan, plus no water or electricity bills.
From BBC
Many have their own restive populations to contend with and fear contagion and chaos if the Iranian regime falls.
Mr. Hunt, 44, contends that Mr. Cornyn, 74, is too old for another term.
For more than a decade, city officials have been contending with logistical hurdles to turn the busiest passenger rail hub in North America into an entirely new neighborhood.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
