CONTEST Synonyms: 157 Similar and Opposite Words

contest 1 of 2

noun

ˈkän-ˌtest

Definition of contest

as in competition

an earnest effort for superiority or victory over another the eternal contest between the forces of good and the forces of evil

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in tournament

a competitive encounter between individuals or groups carried on for amusement, exercise, or in pursuit of a prize a contest for the gold medal in diving

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in skirmish

a physical dispute between opposing individuals or groups what mighty contests have been waged on trivial matters

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

truce

contest

2 of 2

verb

kən-ˈtest

as in to challenge

to demand proof of the truth or rightness of vowed to contest the claim in court

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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 contest

Noun

Since last year, including the Wild Card Round, the Packers are just 1-7 in their last eight contests. — Scott Thompson Outkick, FOXNews.com, 25 Sep. 2026 Kelce and the Chiefs dominated the early-season contest, defeating the visiting Chicago Bears, 41-10. — Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 24 Sep. 2026

Verb

Paxton is seen as a prominent fixture in the MAGA movement, using his position as attorney general to contest Obama-era clean energy and healthcare acts and launching lawsuits against the Biden administration for its immigration policy. — Christopher Buchanan, Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2026 The election stayed unresolved for five weeks while Florida’s votes were counted, contested in court and counted again. — Andrew Latham, The Conversation, 21 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for contest

Recent Examples of Synonyms for contest

Noun

Bear 620 was raised with her cousin, Bear #690 (Bean), who won the Fat Bear Week Junior competition in 2022.

— Popular Science Team, Popular Science, 25 Sep. 2026
Washington should use commercial investment and competition to expand viable launch sites and avoid dependence on any one provider or location.

— Mark Montgomery, The Orlando Sentinel, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of competition

Noun

Clark made her first appearance in a major international tournament this month while helping the United States win its fifth consecutive World Cup championship.

— Jackson Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 19 Sep. 2026
Perception set up a dummy news site and created fake social-media accounts highlighting the tournament’s amenities, which included kosher food in stadiums.

— Ruth Margalit, New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2026

Definition of tournament

Noun

Ties between the two countries, which had deteriorated sharply following a deadly border skirmish in 2020, have been thawing for more than a year.

— Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 17 Sep. 2026
The duo walks away from this skirmish, though not unscathed, as Samjad quickly and economically sets up a blistering saga of stylish reprisals with no holds barred.

— Siddhant Adlakha, IndieWire, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of skirmish

Verb

Habeas corpus, which allows a defendant to challenge the legality of their imprisonment, is among several mechanisms for release, some of which depend on a detainee’s location.

— Andrew Carter, Chicago Tribune, 20 Sep. 2026
Macklemore has pledged to donate $1 million in net earnings from the tour to organizations supporting Palestinians and publicly challenged Kraft to match the contribution.

— Jessica Lynch, Billboard, 19 Sep. 2026

Definition of challenge

Noun

These sensual glimmers are no match for the antagonistic sociality of straight male relationships, which, in this novel, quickly convert sympathy or desire into rivalry and aggression.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 24 Sep. 2026
This season and the last marked the first time in the 112-game series that the rivalry game took place in Oxford in back-to-back years.

— Mark Harris OutKick, FOXNews.com, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of rivalry

Noun

Meta also says the platform will support more than 100 immersive live sports events each year through partners including ESPN and TNT Sports.

— Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 24 Sep. 2026
The Hugging Face hack may have prompted an internal review, during which OpenAI also discovered the Australian website breach, although the company did not explicitly link the two events in its statement.

— Emily Forlini, Fortune, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of event

Noun

There will be recruiting battles and NIL headaches and portal defections and angry message boards and all the other insanity that comes with coaching at a place where fans consider 9-3 an average record rather than an accomplishment.

— Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 20 Sep. 2026
The White Sox, meanwhile, are in a neck-and-neck battle with the Cleveland Guardians for the American League Central crown.

— Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 19 Sep. 2026

Definition of battle

Verb

Three people associated with the box truck were initially detained and taken to DeLand Police headquarters for questioning but were later released and not charged, the release stated.

— Keily Alfonzo, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 Sep. 2026
That victory made the Myanmar native a champion questioned by some, but Van legitimized his reign by prevailing in a grueling battle against Tatsuro Taira last May, stopping his challenger in the final round.

— Eduard Cauich, Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2026