1
2
as in to argue
to state (something) as a reason in support of or against something under consideration
contended that the senator's considerable experience made him the best candidate
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in to insist
to state as a fact usually forcefully
contended that his opponent was wrong about practically everything
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of contend
Among them are radical thinkers who contend that in order to defeat economic gerontocracy, Americans must first defang the elderly ruling class.
—
Idrees Kahloon, The Atlantic, 13 Apr. 2026
Agarwal, however, contends that the congressman doesn’t fully understand the needs of the Valley’s core industry, which employs a large swath of constituents in the district.
—Grace Hase, Mercury News, 12 Apr. 2026
The 2013 Masters winner has been very good this year with his approach play, gaining over 12 strokes combined in his last two tournaments, but struggles in a few different areas have kept him from contending.
—Dennis Esser, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2026
Three teams are contending for one automatic playoff spot (top six) in the East.
—Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 12 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for contend
Idrees Kahloon, The Atlantic, 13 Apr. 2026
Agarwal, however, contends that the congressman doesn’t fully understand the needs of the Valley’s core industry, which employs a large swath of constituents in the district.
—Grace Hase, Mercury News, 12 Apr. 2026
The 2013 Masters winner has been very good this year with his approach play, gaining over 12 strokes combined in his last two tournaments, but struggles in a few different areas have kept him from contending.
—Dennis Esser, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2026
Three teams are contending for one automatic playoff spot (top six) in the East.
—Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 12 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for contend
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contend
Verb
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Elon Musk’s Starship and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Moon landers are both competing to prove their company’s lander will be ready first.—
Stephen Sorace,
FOXNews.com,
12 Apr. 2026
-
Agencies that invest in training and oversight compete with others operating under no formal requirements.—
Jake Krilovich,
Boston Herald,
12 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Painted in 1921, that painting was purchased for the raffle from billionaire art collector David Nahmad, who argued in an Associated Press interview that Picasso would have approved of raffling his work.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 Apr. 2026
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Bart argues that such promotion has a salutary social function, reaching people in underserved communities who might not otherwise be aware that they are entitled to aggressive, contingency-fee advocacy.—
Patrick Radden Keefe,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Yet to a man, those who endured last season and remained insist this has been better, even as the standings tell an all-too-familiar story.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
11 Apr. 2026
-
Israeli forces have continued strikes on Hezbollah as Iran insists a broader ceasefire includes an end to Israeli strikes in Lebanon.—
Dalia Abdelwahab,
CNN Money,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The company is working to improve safety and reasoning through benchmarks that guide how robots should behave in real-world scenarios.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
15 Apr. 2026
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Those are the people, Hall reasoned, who have the expendable income for the devices, which range in price from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars.—
Matthew Adams,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Evergrande Real Estate Group, its mainland property arm, was alleged to have committed fraudulent securities issuance.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 Apr. 2026
-
Investigators allege Brown worked with at least two men, who remain at large, to obtain hundreds of SNAP account numbers.—
Abby Dodge,
CBS News,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Alfortish had been disbarred after pleading guilty, in 2011, to a conspiracy charge relating to his tenure as the president of a nonprofit, the Louisiana Horsemen’s Benevolent & Protective Association, which advocates on behalf of professionals in the horse-racing business.—
Patrick Radden Keefe,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
-
Jackson pleaded guilty on April 3, admitting to trafficking narcotics on behalf of and as part of the Lows gang, the attorney's office says.—
WCCO Staff,
CBS News,
12 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Taiwan is self-ruled but China claims the island as part of its territory.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 Apr. 2026
-
Iran's semiofficial Tasnim news agency, close to the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, claimed that the talks set for Saturday would not happen unless Israel stopped its attacks in Lebanon.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
This would presumably mean claiming responsibility for staging the accidents—and asserting that Motta and Alfortish had believed the cases to be legitimate.—
Patrick Radden Keefe,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
-
Freedom of peaceful navigation is a basic principle of international maritime trade, but Iran has asserted control of the strait.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
12 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Contend.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contend. Accessed 19 Apr. 2026.
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