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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Strategic reserves of munitions, fuel, electronics, critical minerals To address these risks, FORTRESS calls for strategic reserves of munitions, fuel, electronics, critical minerals, medical supplies and spare parts.

— Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 30 Oct. 2026
On Wednesday, nearly a week after the Salvadoran reinforcement began arriving, Haiti’s government finally publicly addressed the deployment.

— Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of address

Verb

Pass Amendment 3 to curb spending abuse Much has been printed here about why voters should oppose the adoption of Amendment 3.

— Letters to the Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 29 Oct. 2026
Campaigns gave short shrift to Palestinian issues Israelis are largely opposed to a Palestinian state.

— Giovanna Dell'Orto, Chicago Tribune, 28 Oct. 2026

Definition of oppose

Verb

Union Berlin managed to draw at Augsburg 1-1 after a player from each was sent off in separate incidents.

— ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026
The winner will gain one of five seats on the board that runs the highway district, which is responsible for building, managing and maintaining local roads and bridges countywide — as well as setting ACHD’s nearly $260 million annual budget.

— Mark Dee, Idaho Statesman, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of manage

Verb

Spouses already made financially vulnerable by years of relocations can be left navigating unfamiliar courts, hiring lawyers in two countries and fighting simply to bring their children home.

— Brianna Keilar, CNN Money, 30 Oct. 2026
Brooke’s healing journey Luther, whose daughter Oakley is almost 3 years old now, has been fighting to not let her injuries define her.

— Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of fight

Verb

From there, congressional leadership would have to decide how to handle the impasse, with three cases over the last five decades to draw on as precedent.

— David Sivak, The Washington Examiner, 30 Oct. 2026
AgiBot says the model can also handle dexterous manipulation without requiring additional fine-tuning for every new activity.

— Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of handle

Verb

Widespread phage therapy could help combat antibiotic resistance.

— Devika Rao, TheWeek, 30 Oct. 2026
Born in Palestine but displaced to Egypt as a child because of the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, the righteous but mild-mannered Odeh dedicated his adult life to combating discrimination against his people in America.

— David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of combat

Verb

Key Takeaways The experiment revealed an unexpected way to manipulate the weak magnetism inside an atomic nucleus.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 28 Oct. 2026
Some see promise in manipulating the gut microbiome; others are exploring the potential of stimulating the vagus nerve, eliciting a psychedelic experience or repurposing drugs that might quiet inflammation in the brain.

— Lynne Peeples, New York Times, 28 Oct. 2026

Definition of manipulate

Verb

Allen took only two dribbles — one before midcourt and one after — gathered his feet, and pulled up from the left side of the arc.

— Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 25 Oct. 2026
Revell said that no arrests had yet been made, nor anyone taken into custody, but that police believed one shooter was involved.

— Samantha Cookinham, NBC news, 25 Oct. 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.

Browse Nearby Words

contends (with)

contend (with)

content

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Contend (with).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contend%20%28with%29. Accessed 1 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of contend (with)

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Pyrrhic

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Pwn, Skibidi, Girlboss and Other Words Added to the 2026 Scrabble Dictionary

The Words of the Week - Oct. 30

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes