CONTENDS Synonyms: 89 Similar and Opposite Words

contends

verb

present tense third-person singular of contend

as in competes

to engage in a contest two traditional rivals contending for the championship

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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

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

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.

Recent Examples of contends The White House contends that the new proposal would give banks more flexibility under the law and drive greater economic development. — Arkansas Online, 13 Oct. 2026 On the other hand, the fossil fuel industry contends the legislation would prevent states and environmental groups from weaponizing courts to stop projects for reasons beyond what is written in federal statutes. — Jordan Blum, Fortune, 11 Oct. 2026 The group contends that word bans — which can lead to people who use those words getting kicked out of meetings and potentially barred from future ones — violate First Amendment protections of free speech. — Los Angeles Times, 10 Oct. 2026 McNulty contends that the technology allows authorities to collect and track location information without sufficient legal protections. — Karen Morfitt, CBS News, 7 Oct. 2026 Her parents' lawsuit contends the military did not sign off on the work; the soldiers were freelancing as security guards to make some extra money on the side. — David Folkenflik, NPR, 4 Oct. 2026 Pike’s team contends the execution team struggled to establish IV access, using at least seven needles before administering two lethal doses of pentobarbital. — Greg Wehner , Michael Ruiz, FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2026 The lawsuit contends that the requirement was inconsistently applied and was used to exclude Dougan because of his disclosures. — Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 30 Sep. 2026 Carey, the family attorney, contends ASU coaches didn’t follow university guidelines regarding heat safety. — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 30 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for contends

Verb

SpaceX competes with Anthropic and OpenAI in the AI market, though Grok trails far behind models from top rivals.

— Lora Kolodny, CNBC, 13 Oct. 2026
Out of sub-Saharan Africa, Cameroonian director Auguste Bernard Kouemo competes with House of the Wind, which debuted in the Venice Film Festival’s Orizzonti sidebar winning its Special Jury Prize and the Lion of the Future for a Debut Film.

— Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of competes

Verb

Ideas expressed in the piece The article argues that the rollback favors automakers and the oil industry over consumers, public health and the climate.

— Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026
Chidgasornpongse argues that capitalist accumulation can persist even within such sacred walls.

— Lé Baltar, IndieWire, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of argues

Verb

But, Punsalan asserts that the business is focused on other, more important priorities over the cafeteria or campus perks such as gym access offered in other tech companies.

— Tamlin Magee, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2026
Court monitor Kellie Wasko’s report asserts that the government remained largely out of compliance with the court’s order.

— Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of asserts

Verb

Sakol insists the merit-making should be organized around the number nine, which represents good fortune in Thai culture.

— Lé Baltar, IndieWire, 8 Oct. 2026
Picking up right where the previous episode left off, this one starts with River and Sid in a retro-’80s bowling alley looking for a pay phone because Sid still insists on getting in contact with Diana Taverner.

— Scott Tobias, Vulture, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of insists

Verb

On the day Erica and Peter moved into 150 Charles, their attorney claims, they were greeted with a cluttered and dirty space that didn’t square with the $26,000-a-month rent.

— Matthew Sedacca, Curbed, 8 Oct. 2026
The lawsuit claims that some of them wrote essays to the school to reduce their disciplinary action, according to her attorney.

— Payton Turkeltaub, Variety, 7 Oct. 2026