contending (with)

verb

present participle of contend (with)
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)
  1. addressing
  2. opposing
  3. handling
  4. fighting
  5. managing
  6. combating
  7. manipulating
  8. taking
Verb
  • Identity controls, security measures and guardrails are essential to addressing manipulation and excessive authority.
    — Shekhar Iyer, Forbes.com, 20 Oct. 2026
  • The gag was branded by some as weak for not directly addressing the controversy.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of addressing
Verb
  • With opposing defenses likely to devote more attention to Anderson, Kohl emphasized the importance of getting other playmakers involved.
    — Alejandro Hernandez, Miami Herald, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Trump’s post outlining a clear plan for construction complicates a federal court hearing scheduled for Monday in a lawsuit filed by the DC Preservation League and two golfers opposing the construction.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of opposing
Verb
  • Employee did not wash hands after handling raw food and changing gloves, before handling ready to eat foods.
    — NWA Democrat-Gazette, Arkansas Online, 19 Oct. 2026
  • About one-quarter of AAPI adults approve of the way Trump is handling his job as president overall.
    — Terry Tang, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of handling
Verb
  • Rather than fighting strict local regulations head-on, companies like Waymo, Zoox, and Aurora are prioritizing states with explicit legislative preemption that prevents individual cities from banning the technology.
    — Andrew Hawkins, The Verge, 18 Oct. 2026
  • The procedure had already been approved, and everyone involved understood that my doctor had spent months fighting to secure authorization.
    — Scott Levenson, New York Daily News, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of fighting
Verb
  • By contrast, recent restrictions or delays suggest a greater emphasis on managing relations with Beijing and avoiding unnecessary escalation.
    — Ningrong Liu, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026
  • My experience includes managing campaigns, leading teams, and building relationships with community leaders.
    — Orlando Sentinel Staff, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of managing
Verb
  • Candidates may spend more of their time combatting misinformation as opposed to sharing their platform, Ridout said.
    — Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Unions can also be powerful tools for combating racial pay discrimination; the new report shows tripling union membership would narrow the racial wage gap by more than a third.
    — Liz Shuler, Time, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of combating
Verb
  • She was also seen taking photos and manipulating notebooks on the victim’s desk, the police affidavit said.
    — Eduardo Cuevas, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Gandhi has alleged that the SIR is an instrument for manipulating elections.
    — Pratap Bhanu Mehta, Foreign Affairs, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of manipulating
Verb
  • Her hours used to be filled with calls, note-taking and lengthy card disclosures.
    — Lindsay Dodgson, CNBC, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Dallas Mavericks star Cooper Flagg exited Friday night's game against the Indiana Pacers with an apparent shoulder injury after taking a hard foul while attempting a layup.
    — Matt Reigle OutKick, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of taking
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

contending
contending (with)
contends
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Contending (with).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contending%20%28with%29. Accessed 26 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of disparate

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

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

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

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

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

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

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All