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
-
The opinion also addressed fears voiced by critics that allowing the firings of Wilcox and Harris would jeopardize the independence of the Federal Reserve.—
John Kruzel,
USA Today,
23 May 2025 -
Each panic source will have its own steps for addressing them, of course.—
Rebecca Fraser-Thill,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2025
Verb
-
The legislation, Senate Bill 8, passed on a largely party-line vote of 87 to 59, with 13 Democrats opposed and one Republican, Rep. Tom Delnicki of South Windsor, in favor.—
Mark Pazniokas,
Hartford Courant,
31 May 2025
-
Some medical practitioners also opposed the measure.—
Jeremy Gorner,
Chicago Tribune,
30 May 2025
Verb
-
The city must manage costs — as difficult as that is to do politically — rather than searching for new ways to increase taxes.—
Phillip Molnar,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
30 May 2025
-
Your role in the economy could move from direct labor, to managing AI systems like the CEO of a company manages their direct reports, to steering the direction of AI systems working for you like a company board weighing in on long-term direction.—
Luke Drago,
Time,
30 May 2025
Verb
-
Moving to Italy was a big jump and then moving here was another big jump: from Serie B to a big club that fights in European competition.—
Greg O'Keeffe,
New York Times,
21 May 2025
-
The current plan would lift the SALT cap from $10,000 to $30,000, but a handful of blue-state Republicans have been fighting to raise the cap higher.—
Joey Garrison,
USA Today,
21 May 2025
Verb
-
Intelligent chatbots and virtual assistants can handle many customer queries, freeing up human agents for more complex interactions.—
Ivan Ostojić,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2025
-
The Yanks lobbed them the title, and the Dodgers were barely able to handle the throw.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
30 May 2025
Verb
-
Republican senators stamped out one of California’s most ambitious environmental policies and challenged the state’s authority to enact vehicle standards to combat its notoriously unhealthy air quality.—
Hailey Branson-Potts,
Los Angeles Times,
23 May 2025
-
Experts predict an increase in space tourism over the coming decades, potentially accelerating global warming in a world already struggling to combat its effects.—
Sheetal Khedkar Rao,
Chicago Tribune,
23 May 2025
Verb
-
Attackers can design prompts that insert malicious instructions through seemingly innocent prompts, manipulate the model to reset its understanding of its role or subtly influence the model's output by feeding misleading information or context.—
Etay Maor,
Forbes.com,
23 May 2025
-
All platforms manipulate users to keep them scrolling.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
23 May 2025
Verb
-
In another outfit change, Lopez took the opportunity to show off her abs in a sparkling metallic gown with dramatic cutouts and a sheer tiered fringe skirt.—
Rachel Flynn,
People.com,
27 May 2025
-
As a major recipient of Pentagon contracts, Musk took a special interest in defending the nomination of Pete Hegseth, a former Fox News host, as Secretary of Defense.—
Evan Osnos,
New Yorker,
26 May 2025
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.
Cite this Entry
“Contend (with).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contend%20%28with%29. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share