contend (with)

verb

Definition of contend (with)next
1
as in to address
to deal with (something) usually skillfully or efficiently a multitude of problems to contend with as soon as he returned to the office

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to oppose
to strive to reduce or eliminate medical missionaries who daily contend with disease and poverty

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for contend (with)
  1. address
  2. oppose
  3. manage
  4. fight
  5. handle
  6. combat
  7. manipulate
  8. take
Verb
  • The state liquor board would have had to address that question, but the application won’t get that far without the local zoning certificate.
    — Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Credit to Tyler Green, creator and host of the Modern Art Notes podcast, for addressing the politics of preservation in relation to Shift.
    — Jeffrey Weiss, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of address
Verb
  • No sitting Democratic senator has publicly launched a bid to replace Schumer, and the candidates opposing him still need to win in November.
    — Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 1 Oct. 2026
  • This sense of necessity entirely opposes the narrative contingency in Spider-Noir’s other genre.
    — Harmon Siegel, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of oppose
Verb
  • Alvarez managed to nab a foul pop-up behind the plate for the first out, but a fly ball to center field scored another run, and Abrams managed to get to third.
    — Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 26 Sep. 2026
  • Tehran has spent long weeks in discussions with Oman, on the other side of the strait, on how to manage shipping traffic.
    — Cara Anna, Los Angeles Times, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of manage
Verb
  • Kosovo has criticized the verdicts as unjust, maintaining that the KLA, which Thaci had led before entering politics, fought against Serbian oppression.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 2 Oct. 2026
  • His emphasis on fighting crime, his anti-left agenda and his confrontations with the Supreme Federal Court and Brazil’s political establishment directly appeal to issues that have mobilized Bolsonaro’s base for years.
    — Alessandra Freitas, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of fight
Verb
  • The size of the award points to a sustained requirement for interceptors capable of handling multiple threats.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Licensing and brand consultancy Black White Orange (BWO) is handling fan engagement, consumer experiences and promotional activations, and Happening 365 Synergies is advising on strategy and the market.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of handle
Verb
  • Neither candidate has a strategy for combatting Brazil’s growing dependence on China for trade, a key issue in the presidential race.
    — Ashley Gold, semafor.com, 2 Oct. 2026
  • As Brazil’s finances tighten, the threat is evolving far faster than the Brazilian state can direct resources to combat it.
    — MATIAS SPEKTOR, Foreign Affairs, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of combat
Verb
  • Present-day police work reflects our current economic order by placing a high value on manipulating such immaterialities.
    — Sophie Landres, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
  • According to Treasury, Galeano had been detained in the United States in 2017 on suspicion of manipulating ATMs and was found with drugs and backpacks containing a large amount of cash.
    — Antonio Maria Delgado, Miami Herald, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of manipulate
Verb
  • Take down the fence when the season opens and take your toll.
    — Bryan Hendricks, Arkansas Online, 27 Sep. 2026
  • Martha and her mother Maria Alberto Gonzalez and his wife, Catalina Gonzalez, remember taking two buses and a train from their home on the North Side to get to the restaurant in the late 1960s.
    — Laura Rodríguez Presa, Chicago Tribune, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of take
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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contends (with)
contend (with)
content
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Cite this Entry

“Contend (with).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contend%20%28with%29. Accessed 3 Oct. 2026.

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