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
Texas contends Villarreal gained Facebook followers by getting police officers to tell her the identities of a person who killed himself by jumping off a Laredo overpass and of a family involved in a car accident.
—
Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 23 Mar. 2026
But commercial distributors contend there are still benefits of putting the game on in bars.
—Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 23 Mar. 2026
The Stars looked sloppy Sunday on the second night of a back-to-back against two contending teams.
—Lia Assimakopoulos, Dallas Morning News, 22 Mar. 2026
For a Wild Card team that returns almost its entire defense, save for coordinator Jesse Minter, the Bolts have done enough to put themselves back in the contending conversation this offseason.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 22 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for contend
Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 23 Mar. 2026
But commercial distributors contend there are still benefits of putting the game on in bars.
—Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 23 Mar. 2026
The Stars looked sloppy Sunday on the second night of a back-to-back against two contending teams.
—Lia Assimakopoulos, Dallas Morning News, 22 Mar. 2026
For a Wild Card team that returns almost its entire defense, save for coordinator Jesse Minter, the Bolts have done enough to put themselves back in the contending conversation this offseason.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 22 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for contend
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contend
Verb
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In the market for preterm nutrition, Abbott and Mead Johnson compete with each other, not against the use of human milk, the companies told KFF Health News.—
David Hilzenrath,
USA Today,
29 Mar. 2026
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Any organization with 50 or more employees in the state is eligible to compete for a Top Workplaces award.—
Bob Helbig,
Freep.com,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Prosecutors argue the South Florida defendants hired a squad of Colombian commandos to kidnap or kill Moïse to seize political power and secure lucrative infrastructure contracts from his successor.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
24 Mar. 2026
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North Carolina lawmakers are considering limits on how much local governments can grow property tax revenue as Republican leaders argue counties like Cabarrus have collected billions more than warranted.—
Nora O'Neill,
Charlotte Observer,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Martha sat on the other bed and thought about what a perverse species humans were—to insist on eating something that had tried so hard to be inedible.—
Cassandra Neyenesch,
New Yorker,
29 Mar. 2026
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House and Senate Democrats, meanwhile, insisted that the easiest and quickest way to end the shutdown would be for the House to pass the Senate compromise.—
Zachary Schermele,
USA Today,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Like Sherlock Holmes or Benoit Blanc, Grace relies on reasoning to uncover the truth — only, in his case, billions of lives depend on his deductions.—
Tim Brinkhof,
Big Think,
24 Mar. 2026
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The people on whom the planter depended to make his plantation run, Amador probably reasoned, were the same people who were best qualified and most motivated to annihilate it.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Federal authorities allege in an indictment that the images portrayed of dogs raised and offered for sale at the Giant German Shepherd Ranch in Hopkins County were a disguise for a place where, instead, cruelty and neglect were rampant.—
J.D. Miles,
CBS News,
24 Mar. 2026
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As the group started to run away, Jose Medina, 25, fired a gun, prosecutors alleged Monday, hitting the 18-year-old Loyola University Chicago student in the back while her friends took cover in a grassy area of the beach.—
Madeline Buckley,
Chicago Tribune,
23 Mar. 2026
Verb
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All have pleaded guilty to the scheme, which is described in an array of court filings.—
John Annese,
New York Daily News,
29 Mar. 2026
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Huerta pled guilty in February in Leavenworth County District Court to one count of involuntary manslaughter and one count of aggravated endangering a child, according to previous Star reporting.—
Noelle Alviz-Gransee
March 29,
Kansas City Star,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Around this time Denise and Aaron filed a civil lawsuit against the City of Vallejo claiming defamation and emotional distress.—
Lauren Clark,
CBS News,
29 Mar. 2026
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And those four claimed the first four spots in Saturday’s race.—
Clark Spencer,
Miami Herald,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Tehran praised its attack as a show of strength, even as Israel's military asserts that Iranian missile launches have decreased since the war began.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
23 Mar. 2026
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Tehran praised the attack as show of strength, even as Israel’s military asserts that Iranian missile launches have gradually decreased in frequency since the war began.—
Alon Bernstein,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Contend.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contend. Accessed 30 Mar. 2026.
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