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 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

Critics also contend that the cost of creating the new weapons is ultimately unnecessary and wasteful. — Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "Trump Administration Begins Production of New Nuclear Weapon," 1 Feb. 2019 Hoskins contends that the derby isn’t much different from a typical round of batting practice. — Scott Lauber, Philly.com, "Phillies' Rhys Hoskins unconcerned about Home Run Derby impacting his swing," 12 July 2018 The videographer, Tavish Campbell, spokesman for Wild First, is an opponent of open-net-pen salmon farms and contends the effluent is harmful to wild salmon. — Anchorage Daily News, "Audit finds 70 percent of British Columbia fish-processing plants do not comply with environmental regulations," 8 July 2018 Escotto's lawyer contends the secret recording is legal because it was taken in a public space, the Herald reports. — Joel Shannon, USA TODAY, "Concerned mom secretly recorded her son's kindergarten teacher to back up bullying claim," 6 July 2018 Attorney Sonia Roca contends the recording is legal as the classroom is a public space. — Colleen Wright, miamiherald, "Mom's secret recording catches kindergarten teacher calling 5-year-old a "loser"," 5 July 2018 The firm contends America's opioid epidemic is to blame for more than a tripling of overdose deaths, from 15,000 in 2009 to 53,000 in 2016. — Dennis Wagner, azcentral, "Opioid epidemic: Arizona cities, counties join huge federal suit against pain-med makers," 30 June 2018 Ollie’s attorneys contend that this accusation is categorically false and that its public release was designed to malign Ollie’s character and damage his prospects for future employment. — Michael Mccann, SI.com, "Breaking Down Kevin Ollie's Case Against UConn and the University's Likely Defenses," 29 June 2018 Immigration advocates contend that the intensive supervision — frequent appointments at ICE and ankle monitors — is intrusive and criminalizing. — NBC News, "This Obama-era pilot program kept asylum-seeking migrant families together. Trump canceled it.," 24 June 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.