1
2
as in argues
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 alleges
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 contends
The firings, the lawsuit contends, gutted the bureau of vital expertise.
—
Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Sep. 2025
Parker contends that a constellation of factors, including genetics, inflammation, and stress, enable acetaminophen to trigger autism in certain children.
—Tom Bartlett, The Atlantic, 9 Sep. 2025
The complaint also contends that ticket prices’ actual costs were not prominently displayed in the Nationals’ box office.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 9 Sep. 2025
And as the chart above contends, an AI Factory’s profit increases with performance.
—Karl Freund, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
The administration contends the aid cuts have not resulted in any deaths.
—Justin Jouvenal The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 9 Sep. 2025
The administration contends the law is unconstitutional, asserting an expansive view of presidential power that could prompt the Supreme Court to overturn what remains of its 90-year-old precedent upholding such removal protections.
—Zach Schonfeld, The Hill, 8 Sep. 2025
The suit contends that ICE agents have done the same with potential sponsors.
—Alex Riggins, Mercury News, 8 Sep. 2025
The suit contends that ICE agents have done the same with potential sponsors.
—Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Sep. 2025
Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Sep. 2025
Parker contends that a constellation of factors, including genetics, inflammation, and stress, enable acetaminophen to trigger autism in certain children.
—Tom Bartlett, The Atlantic, 9 Sep. 2025
The complaint also contends that ticket prices’ actual costs were not prominently displayed in the Nationals’ box office.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 9 Sep. 2025
And as the chart above contends, an AI Factory’s profit increases with performance.
—Karl Freund, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
The administration contends the aid cuts have not resulted in any deaths.
—Justin Jouvenal The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 9 Sep. 2025
The administration contends the law is unconstitutional, asserting an expansive view of presidential power that could prompt the Supreme Court to overturn what remains of its 90-year-old precedent upholding such removal protections.
—Zach Schonfeld, The Hill, 8 Sep. 2025
The suit contends that ICE agents have done the same with potential sponsors.
—Alex Riggins, Mercury News, 8 Sep. 2025
The suit contends that ICE agents have done the same with potential sponsors.
—Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contends
Verb
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Google, whose Gemini chatbot competes with ChatGPT, has been slower to sign such deals.—
Reuters,
CNN Money,
14 Sep. 2025
-
Bill Belichick camped the team at Palm Beach Atlantic University, a private Christian school that competes at the Division II level.—
Andrew Callahan,
Boston Herald,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Runge argues in The Great Healthcare Disruption that innovation without humanity risks leaving patients behind, while humanity without innovation risks stalling medical progress.—
Nia Bowers,
USA Today,
12 Sep. 2025
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And seabed curtains could divert warm water toward other glaciers, the paper argues, or disrupt the upwelling of nutrients that feed phytoplankton—a crucial food for many other species.—
Alec Luhn,
Scientific American,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The lawsuit alleges Patel acknowledged to Driscoll that firing FBI agents without cause would violate internal FBI rules and probably federal law as well.—
Josh Meyer,
USA Today,
10 Sep. 2025
-
For Driscoll, hints of trouble began even before the inauguration, the lawsuit alleges.—
Carrie Johnson,
NPR,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Children want to change, as Adam Phillips asserts, but adults want to stay the same.—
Rachel Kushner,
New Yorker,
14 Sep. 2025
-
Similarly, Hick's law (or the Hick-Hyman law, named for psychologists William Edmund Hick and Ray Hyman) asserts that increasing the number of choices a user is presented with will increase their decision time logarithmically.—
Cameron Kaiser,
ArsTechnica,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Google, of course, insists the AI Overviews arrangement benefits everyone.—
Andy Meek,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
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Oscar Martinez of The Office insists to the documentary camera crew on the hunt for what became of the Dunder-Mifflin crew 12 years after the long-running program went off the air.—
Michael M. Rosen,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In the wake of Charlie Kirk's assassination, Republicans on Sunday criticized some Democrats, suggesting language used by them contributed to Kirk's killing, claims that Democrats rejected.—
Lalee Ibssa,
ABC News,
14 Sep. 2025
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The study also claims that the ASW system could reduce a submarine’s chance of escape to just 5 percent, meaning only one in 20 would likely evade detection and attack.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Contends.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contends. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
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