Definition of contend
intransitive verb
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
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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 of contend from the Web
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The company contends the commission didn’t consider racial diversity of applicants as set in law.
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The Mets, who played in the 2015 World Series, were expected to contend for a playoff spot this season, but have sputtered to a 23-28 start due to injuries to ace Noah Syndergaard, closer Jeurys Familia and slugger Yoenis Cespedes.
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Vos will have to contend with a St. Joseph-Ogden batting order that boasts some pop.
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SP contends in its comparison that while shareholder AEG owns the Los Angeles Kings and part-owns the Los Angeles Lakers, the OVG group can’t claim any team ownership.
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Obama administration officials contended it was needed to eliminate biased financial advice that costs consumers billions of dollars annually in high fees and commissions.
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Legally, if a CEO's illness threatens to affect a company's financial health, that information must be disclosed to shareholders in a timely manner, corporate governance experts contend.
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Then there’s the growing chorus of Brazilians who contend that the presidency should be abolished altogether, replaced by citizens making decisions via the instant-messaging service WhatsApp.
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Lawyers for the commission subsequently sued, contending the Legislature did not have authority to order the audit.
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.
Origin and Etymology of contend
Middle English, from Anglo-French or Latin; Anglo-French contendre, from Latin contendere, from com- + tendere to stretch — more at thin
CONTEND Defined for English Language Learners
contend
playDefinition of contend for English Language Learners
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: to argue or state (something) in a strong and definite way
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: to compete with someone or for something : to compete with a good chance of winning
CONTEND Defined for Kids
Learn More about contend
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See words that rhyme with contend Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for contend Spanish Central: Translation of contend Nglish: Translation of contend for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of contend for Arabic speakers
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