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

The beleaguered shipping industry will now have to contend with higher insurance premiums. — Jon Sindreu, WSJ, "Shipping’s Latest Problem: Rising Insurance Costs," 28 Mar. 2019 If being hit by a hurricane wasn’t enough, The Christopher, a standby of five-star luxury on the island of St. Barth had to contend with a fire just before it was slated to open. — Hannah Seligson, Town & Country, "The Best Room At," 9 Feb. 2019 Manchin’s opponent, state Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, had to contend with a costly primary, while Nelson’s opponent, Gov. Rick Scott, has showed he’s willing to spend millions on his race. — Fox News Staff, Fox News, "Sen. Tom Carper faces challenge in Del. primary," 6 Sep. 2018 In the case of Gatwick's drone debacle, no suspects have been charged, and authorities are contending with a substantial dearth of evidence pointing to potential culprits. — Sam Blum, Popular Mechanics, "Another Drone Sighting Shuts Down the UK's Busiest Airport," 8 Jan. 2019 The suit contends the team and the city were negligent for not putting up safety netting to protect spectators. — Don Stacom, Courant Community, "Spectator Sues Bristol Blues Over Injury From Broken Bat," 14 July 2018 Tehama County is also contending with the Stoll Fire, which shrank to 300 acres and is 60 percent contained, Cal Fire said. — Molly Sullivan, sacbee, "Northern California wildfires roundup: Latest details, map," 25 June 2018 Though initially it had been reported that Chinese coal use increased by about three percent, Brookings contends that the increase was probably a more modest one percent. — Megan Geuss, Ars Technica, "In China, coal rules cut sulfur emissions, but data manipulation is a concern," 25 June 2018 Soon Bates was contending with a new problem: drenching night sweats. — Sandra G. Boodman, Washington Post, "Her doctor said she had the flu. It took years to find the real, and strange, illness.," 23 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.