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
Relevance
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)
Verb
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Pincé said Macron had addressed this by saying allies would handle all the non-nuclear aspects of the new system.—
Charlotte Reed,
CNBC,
5 Mar. 2026 -
Multiple candidates among the leading contenders represent diverse backgrounds and experiences capable of addressing California’s major challenges.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Progressive groups are vowing to mount challenges from the left to any lawmaker who opposes the war powers vote, Axios reported.—
Nicholas Wu,
semafor.com,
5 Mar. 2026
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Pairing those two together in nickel and dime packages could create uncanny pre-snap looks for opposing offenses.—
Mike Kaye
Updated March 5,
Charlotte Observer,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The war with Iran continues to cause aviation chaos in the Middle East and beyond as some of the world’s busiest airports attempt to manage the fallout of airspace closures, with only a limited number of flights now departing the region.—
Marnie Hunter,
CNN Money,
4 Mar. 2026
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Those figures include contracts that LAHSA manages for the county and the city, and LAHSA said the city was late in transferring it money, contributing to the delays.—
Andrew Khouri,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The designation, which Anthropic will fight in court, could become a serious problem for the startup, which earns its revenue through enterprise software sales to companies that might currently or one day want to work with the military in some capacity.—
Reed Albergotti,
semafor.com,
28 Feb. 2026
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Prosecutors are fighting to prevent Cox from being able to cross examine witnesses.—
Amy DeLaura,
The Washington Examiner,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
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But Asghar says wearable gadgets can potentially handle some tasks more efficiently than a phone, like instant translations during a conversation.—
Lisa Eadicicco,
CNN Money,
2 Mar. 2026
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Some users have voiced anger at how the situation was handled, claiming that either Kalshi’s rules should have been communicated more clearly, or that its markets should have been more narrowly worded to avoid confusion.—
Terrence O'Brien,
The Verge,
1 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Officers were tasked with combating what officials said was a rise in thefts, people spending money obtained by defrauding the state’s unemployment system and quality of life issues like loud music and the smell of marijuana drifting into stores, according to a 2021 Times investigation.—
Hannah Fry,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
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Shimmick said his department has tried to address these concerns last summer using the fire department’s boat to combat these issues and that effort has resulted in 600 citations and 175 arrests.—
Fousia Abdullahi,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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One of the images – which was flagged during a CNN check as being potentially AI-manipulated – showed the girl, believed to be named Kim Ju Ae and in her early teens, firing a sniper rifle.—
Brad Lendon,
CNN Money,
28 Feb. 2026
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Growers manipulate the growing conditions of the plants by regulating temperature, light and moisture.—
Dawn Pettinelli,
Hartford Courant,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
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And areas of south Lebanon – Hezbollah’s home turf – have once again been pounded from across the Israeli border, leaving dozens of people killed and injured, while thousands have fled their homes to take shelter out of the line of fire.—
Matthew Chance,
CNN Money,
3 Mar. 2026
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On the smallest scales, structure gets washed out, while on larger scales, structure takes a long time to form, as larger scales plus the finite speed of gravity translate into longer timescales for collapse.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
3 Mar. 2026
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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 6 Mar. 2026.
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