CONTEND (WITH) Synonyms: 81 Similar and Opposite Words

contend (with)

verb

Definition of contend (with)

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to oppose

to strive to reduce or eliminate medical missionaries who daily contend with disease and poverty

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for contend (with)

Verb

Cush addressed the allegations at Monday’s board meeting, saying the district has no contracts with the Alive Center and the board members have not benefited from their involvement with both organizations.

— Michelle Mullins, Chicago Tribune, 20 Aug. 2026
Toth said that the city had previously addressed allegations made by Saloum in the MDCR investigation, in which the MDCR determined there was insufficient evidence and dismissed Saloum's complaint.

— Karma Sabbah, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of address

Verb

Prosecutors opposed that request, and a judge denied his petition on July 18, 2025, ordering him to wait one year before filing again.

— Sean Mandell, PEOPLE, 21 Aug. 2026
Schmidt and Brin have both contributed millions to the political organization Building a Better California to oppose Proposition 40.

— Joshua Hong, Fortune, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of oppose

Verb

The regime appears to have more pressing priorities – presenting the conflict with the United States as an existential struggle, managing the deep economic fall-out and reorganizing the security apparatus under the leadership of Mojtaba Khamenei.

— Tim Lister, CNN Money, 23 Aug. 2026
That was because his closest challenger, Lewis Hamilton, could only manage seventh in the sprint.

— ABC News, ABC News, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of manage

Verb

That’s exactly what happened with money market funds, another savings instrument that the banks fought using questionable arguments, only to be proven wrong.

— Omid Malekan, Fortune, 21 Aug. 2026
The team comes up with scenarios in which Emi fights a mech or battles yakuza in the clouds, and the fights defy expectations.

— Gieson Cacho, Mercury News, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of fight

Verb

Records show Denver's own city attorneys handled the Calderon case from its filing in August 2024 until April 2026, when the City Attorney opted to hire Wheeler Trigg O'Donnell.

— Brian Maass, CBS News, 21 Aug. 2026
With Watts purportedly stressed about finances in the wake of the Late Late Show’s end, McCollough volunteered to subsidize his costs by running his social media accounts and handling odd jobs like manning his merch stand.

— Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of handle

Verb

In virtually every practice, Rodgers gives the young quarterbacks a small piece of information — how to throw the ball on the run, how to carry out play-action, how to manipulate defenders with their eyes.

— Mike DeFabo, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026
New tools in neuroscience have allowed researchers to manipulate the activity of specific neurons in mice brains.

— Danny G. Winder, Fortune, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of manipulate

Verb

Fewer suicide attempts will also mean fewer lengthy bridge closures, which affect national security and require drivers to take a 23-mile detour through Imperial Beach and up the Silver Strand to get from San Diego to Coronado.

— David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Aug. 2026
Getting a women’s soccer team off the ground takes its challenges, which Keeley Jones (Juno Temple) and Rebecca Welton (Hannah Waddingham) have begun to realize four episodes into the fourth season of Ted Lasso.

— Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 26 Aug. 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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“Contend (with).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contend%20%28with%29. Accessed 28 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of contend (with)

verb

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