1
as in addressing
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 opposing
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 contending (with)
Verb
-
The Guthrie family's 'hour of desperation' The Guthrie family has posted several videos on social media over the past two weeks, addressing both Savannah Guthrie's followers and a person who may have abducted Nancy Guthrie.—
Brendan Morrow,
USA Today,
16 Feb. 2026 -
Midway through her second edition at the helm of the Berlinale, the combative festival director wastes no time addressing the political storm that flared on opening day and quickly threatened to eclipse the films themselves.—
Elsa Keslassy,
Variety,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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That’s the offer WBD is officially opposing.—
Brian Stelter,
CNN Money,
17 Feb. 2026
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My co-counsel did a phenomenal job and very much appreciated having that opposing argument.—
Deni Ellis Béchard,
Scientific American,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
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With the passage of the INA, Congress tasked immigration courts with handling removal proceedings, thereby stripping district courts of jurisdiction over immigration matters.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
6 Feb. 2026
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The brain is also far more adept at handling things like ambiguity, subtlety, and nuance.—
Matthew S Williams,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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My entire career has been dedicated to fighting crime, upholding the law, and protecting Texans—experience no other candidate can match.—
Eleanor Dearman,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Feb. 2026
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Such a marathon is not unlike long weeks spent on the road competing, constantly fighting jet lag, and navigating limited options for fueling meals ahead of game time.—
Kayla Blanton,
Outside,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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City staff is evaluating options for managing the orchard, including working with existing staff.—
Anne Gelhaus,
Mercury News,
15 Feb. 2026
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With a dual perspective, this novel follows Maya managing her grief and facing the past while mothers in China are forced to give up their own daughters.—
Amanda Favazza,
Southern Living,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Jackson becomes head of the Chicago chapter of the SCLC’s economic arm, Operation Breadbasket, a program promoting better employment for the Black community by combating discriminatory hiring practices.—
Darcel Rockett,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Feb. 2026
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At meetings with political appointees, staffers were encouraged to describe their work as combating fraud in the immigration system.—
Jonathan Blitzer,
New Yorker,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Hogan and his men secretly functioned as an espionage and sabotage operation, successfully manipulating the inept Germans over the course of 168 episodes.—
David Faris,
TheWeek,
18 Feb. 2026
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Trump fired former Bureau of Labor Statistics Commissioner Erika McEntarfer in August, implying that the agency was manipulating labor market data under her leadership.—
Alex Harring,
CNBC,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Also on Tuesday, Indivisible CT is conducting an anti-ICE rally on the state Capitol lawn, taking political aim at a federal agency that has fallen sharply out of public favor after killing two American citizens in Minnesota and roughing up scores of others.—
Don Stacom,
Hartford Courant,
17 Feb. 2026
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The European Union’s first offshore carbon storage facility, taking emissions from Denmark and injecting them into the seabed below the North Sea, is due to start operating by mid-2026.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
17 Feb. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Contending (with).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contending%20%28with%29. Accessed 19 Feb. 2026.
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