contend

verb

con·tend | \kən-ˈtend

contended; contending; contends

Definition of contend

1 : to strive or vie in contest or rivalry or against difficulties : struggle contended with the problems of municipal government will contend for the championship this year

2 : to strive in debate : argue

transitive verb

1 : maintain, assert contended that he was right contends that the new law would help only the wealthy

2 : to struggle for : contest She contended every point, objected to every request …— Margaret Mead

Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about contend

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Examples of contend in a Sentence

These people contend that they have earned the right to the land. The team is expected to contend for the championship this year.

Recent Examples on the Web

Most gerrymandering lawsuits have invoked the 14th Amendment’s equal-protection guarantee, contending that lawmakers violated their duty to treat all voters equally. — Jess Bravin, WSJ, "Maryland to Appeal Gerrymandering Ruling, Setting Up New Supreme Court Battle," 15 Nov. 2018 In short, the dream of just unplugging your laptop from a USB-C dongle, plugging in your iPad, and having all of your screens, hard drives, and accessories work may not be as simple as the ports contend. — Chaim Gartenberg, The Verge, "Adding USB-C to the iPad isn’t enough to fix Apple’s messy port strategy," 31 Oct. 2018 With nine minutes to go, the championship-contending #54 was forced to stop for fuel, going from fourth to seventh in the process. — Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, "The Petit Le Mans: More proof we’re in a golden age for sportscar racing," 18 Oct. 2018 Studying the market and ensuring no cars are driving around too long without passengers is a big part of that, Council members contend. — Johana Bhuiyan, Recode, "Uber and Lyft are fighting a critical battle against New York City — and this time, they might not win," 2 Aug. 2018 Iran denies involvement and contends the allegations against its diplomat are intended to damage its relations with the European Union. — Matthew Lee, BostonGlobe.com, "Trump says there ‘might be an escalation’ between US, Iran," 12 July 2018 Privacy - Terms The contractor, Swinerton Builders of San Francisco, filed a $36 million lien on the tower in February, contending the Kings' development group, SG Downtown LLC, owes them and contractors that amount in unpaid work. — Tony Bizjak, sacbee, "Kings sue contractor over soaring costs at unfinished downtown tower project," 4 July 2018 O’Connor often sought to split the difference between the contending extremes. — Akhil Reed Amar, Time, "What Justice Kennedy's Legacy Could Mean for the Future of the Supreme Court," 29 June 2018 The companies may still have to contend with other states. — Rachel Abrams, New York Times, "7 Fast-Food Chains to End ‘No Poach’ Deals That Lock Down Low-Wage Workers," 12 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'contend.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.