contention

noun con·ten·tion \ kən-ˈten(t)-shən \

Updated on: 16 Apr 2018

Definition of contention

1 : a point advanced or maintained in a debate or argument

It is his contention that allowing a casino to be built would not be in the best interests of the city.

2 : an act or instance of contending

He has taken himself out of contention for the directorship.

3 : rivalry, competition

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See contention defined for kids

Examples of contention in a Sentence

Tiger Woods splashed his way into contention in the New Zealand Open … shooting a four under par to close within six strokes of the lead. —New York Times, 13 Jan. 2002
The issues behind the protest are the usual bones of collective-bargaining contention: pay increases, vacation time, union membership. —Louis Menand, New Yorker, 17 & 24 June 2002
Science, and academic scholarship in general, the contention these days goes, is too subjective. Some even allege it's entirely subjective, as is, they say, history. —Carl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World, 1996
All quotes from QDB.
That has been a source of contention for years.
He is in contention for the Olympic medal.

Recent Examples of contention from the Web

But Johnson sided with Rialmo's contention that LeGrier swung the bat at him.

— dan hinkel, chicagotribune.com, "Randomly chosen Police Board member to decide if Chicago cop to face potential firing over shooting," 12 Apr. 2018
In 2016, Apple successfully pushed to have a rifle emoji removed from the standardized collection of icons, a decision that was not surrounded by much contention as the argument was that a pistol emoji already existed.

— dani deahl, The Verge, "Twitter’s new emoji update ditches the pistol in favor of a water gun," 12 Apr. 2018
To help prove the regime's contention that the Islamist rebels are extremists, the army showed the group of journalists a church whose contents were set on fire by the rebels, the crucifix yanked off.

— claudia otto, CNN, "The siege that forced a suburb underground," 11 Apr. 2018
Farrell, who is free to leave the organization for a managing position at any time, ultimately might prefer a team that is closer to contention. 1.

— dave clark, Cincinnati.com, "Bryan Price on hot seat, per national media," 9 Apr. 2018
Before Embiid went down, there was a contention that Simmons should be docked points for not being his team’s primary option the way Donovan Mitchell has been for the Jazz.

— david murphy, Philly.com, "Sixers' biggest question for playoffs: How much can Ben Simmons handle? | David Murphy," 9 Apr. 2018
The Pacers were still technically in contention to win the Central Division.. ▪ Oladipo appears to be a strong candidate for the NBA’s Most Improved Player award.

— rick bonnell, charlotteobserver, "Charlotte Hornets’ defense hard to find in home finale loss to Indiana Pacers," 8 Apr. 2018
By comparison, the team’s current predicament of being stuck just short of championship contention but still boasting multiple assets does not seem so terrible.

— mike finger, San Antonio Express-News, "Spurs’ best deal might be one they didn’t make," 7 Apr. 2018
The following Sunday at Phoenix Raceway, Elliott got his revenge by bumping Hamlin into the wall, which knocked him out of the race and cup title contention.

— peter dawson, star-telegram, "NASCAR ready for new stars to take lead? Maybe, but vets like Jimmie Johnson still have plenty left in tank | Fort Worth Star-Telegram," 5 Apr. 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of contention

Middle English contencioun, from Anglo-French cuntenciun, from Latin contention-, contentio, from contendere

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First Known Use: 14th century

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contention Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of contention

discord, strife, conflict, contention, dissension, variance mean a state or condition marked by a lack of agreement or harmony. discord implies an intrinsic or essential lack of harmony producing quarreling, factiousness, or antagonism.

- a political party long racked by discord

strife emphasizes a struggle for superiority rather than the incongruity or incompatibility of the persons or things involved.

- during his brief reign the empire was never free of civil strife

conflict usually stresses the action of forces in opposition but in static applications implies an irreconcilability as of duties or desires.

- the conflict of freedom and responsibility

contention applies to strife or competition that shows itself in quarreling, disputing, or controversy.

- several points of contention about the new zoning law

dissension implies strife or discord and stresses a division into factions.

- religious dissension threatened to split the colony

variance implies a clash between persons or things owing to a difference in nature, opinion, or interest.

- cultural variances that work against a national identity

CONTENTION Defined for English Language Learners

contention

noun

Definition of contention for English Language Learners

: something (such as a belief, opinion, or idea) that is argued or stated
: anger and disagreement
: a situation in which you have a chance to win something that you are trying to win