1
as in competing
to engage in a contest
two traditional rivals contending for the championship
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in arguing
to state (something) as a reason in support of or against something under consideration
contended that the senator's considerable experience made him the best candidate
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in alleging
to state as a fact usually forcefully
contended that his opponent was wrong about practically everything
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of contending
Cast members from Taylor Sheridan’s Landman and The Madison crossed paths at Paramount+’s All Trails Lead Here event celebrating the two award-contending television shows that take place in Sheridan’s broader western universe that kicked off with Yellowstone.
—
Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 4 June 2026
Crosby, a deputy city attorney endorsed by the county Democratic Party, had sent mailers contending Bailey’s promises to reduce city spending would slash funding for parks, libraries and homeless shelters.
—David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 June 2026
There should be a long line of contending teams on hold waiting to make offers.
—Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 3 June 2026
In all four races, just two candidates are contending in the primary, meaning all eight are guaranteed to appear on the General Election ballot in November.
—Victoria Le, Oc Register, 3 June 2026
On Monday, two contending teams made blockbuster trades in efforts to hoist the Lombardi Trophy at Super Bowl 61.
—Jim Reineking, USA Today, 2 June 2026
MacFarland and the Avs made a historic number of in-season trades for a contending team a year ago.
—Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 2 June 2026
And while Alcantara has never really profiled as a true big-league solution for a contending team like the Phillies, some additional depth certainly wouldn’t hurt.
—Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 28 May 2026
And the barometer for success would be a team that sets up as capable of contending to get to the NBA Finals, where recent seasons, and perhaps even this one, have shown that injuries for the opposition can change anything.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 28 May 2026
Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 4 June 2026
Crosby, a deputy city attorney endorsed by the county Democratic Party, had sent mailers contending Bailey’s promises to reduce city spending would slash funding for parks, libraries and homeless shelters.
—David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 June 2026
There should be a long line of contending teams on hold waiting to make offers.
—Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 3 June 2026
In all four races, just two candidates are contending in the primary, meaning all eight are guaranteed to appear on the General Election ballot in November.
—Victoria Le, Oc Register, 3 June 2026
On Monday, two contending teams made blockbuster trades in efforts to hoist the Lombardi Trophy at Super Bowl 61.
—Jim Reineking, USA Today, 2 June 2026
MacFarland and the Avs made a historic number of in-season trades for a contending team a year ago.
—Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 2 June 2026
And while Alcantara has never really profiled as a true big-league solution for a contending team like the Phillies, some additional depth certainly wouldn’t hurt.
—Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 28 May 2026
And the barometer for success would be a team that sets up as capable of contending to get to the NBA Finals, where recent seasons, and perhaps even this one, have shown that injuries for the opposition can change anything.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 28 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contending
Verb
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El Tri will have an edge competing at high altitude and with the support of home fans, but Mexico is winless in World Cup openers.—
Eduard Cauich,
Los Angeles Times,
11 June 2026
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As part of our Language of Soccer World Cup series, The Athletic is speaking to supporters of all 48 nations competing at the 2026 edition to capture their unique football culture, distilled into a single phrase.—
Carl Anka,
New York Times,
10 June 2026
Verb
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Russia warns of major Kyiv attacks The Kremlin urged foreign diplomats to leave Kyiv, warning of a major forthcoming attack, with analysts arguing that Russia is losing momentum in its war on Ukraine.—
semafor.com,
semafor.com,
29 May 2026
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The men were arguing about a conflict that their children were having, the mother told the TV station.—
David Goodhue,
Miami Herald,
29 May 2026
Verb
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In Joliet, residents sued the City Council last month to block a 795-acre data center project, alleging violations of the Open Meetings Act.—
Jack O'Connor,
Chicago Tribune,
6 June 2026
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Israel had continuously attacked Lebanon since a November 2024 ceasefire, alleging that Hezbollah failed to withdraw from border areas.—
Mick Krever,
CNN Money,
6 June 2026
Verb
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Most operators have already embedded machine learning into parts of their organizations; many are actively piloting generative AI; and a growing number are now exploring agentic systems, or AI architectures capable of reasoning across tasks and interacting with multiple data sources.—
Hakan Ekmen,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
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Altman even senses that some employers are hiding behind AI when reasoning their workforce layoffs.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
1 June 2026
Verb
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Inspired by a true story, this thriller centers around a fast food manager, Sandra (Ann Dowd), who receives a call from a man identifying himself as a police officer claiming to be investigating a potential theft by Becky (Dreama Walker), one of the restaurant’s employees.—
Kevin Jacobsen,
Entertainment Weekly,
6 June 2026
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This thought is part of what made Suzuki’s and Caufield’s joint NHL awards announcement Monday so special — with Suzuki winning the Selke Trophy as the league’s best defensive forward in a landslide and Caufield claiming the Lady Byng Trophy for most gentlemanly player.—
Arpon Basu,
New York Times,
5 June 2026
Verb
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Asia-Pacific governments are increasingly asserting control over data produced by their citizens, businesses, and public bodies.—
Leonard Lim,
Fortune,
10 June 2026
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Beijing and Moscow are asserting themselves in the belief that America is on the decline.—
Missy Ryan,
The Atlantic,
10 June 2026
Verb
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Iran has repeatedly refused for years to fully end its nuclear program, insisting it’s designed to protect Iran’s sovereignty and not to build a nuclear weapon.—
Sara Dorn,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026
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Paula Conaway alleged she was harassed and ultimately demoted from her position as deputy chief for insisting on accountability for officers under her command.—
Harrison Mantas,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
10 June 2026
Verb
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JaMarion Manogin, 20, of Forney, received 12 months after pleading guilty to two counts of using a communication facility to facilitate drug trafficking via cellphone.—
Doug Myers,
CBS News,
6 June 2026
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In addition to Ross, seven other defendants have been sentenced after pleading guilty to RICO conspiracy or other charges connected with their gang involvement.—
Harriet Ramos,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
6 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Contending.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contending. Accessed 12 Jun. 2026.
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