1
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
2
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
3
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
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
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Recent Examples of contest
Jason Clinkscales, Sportico.com, 18 July 2025
Ionescu set the all-time single-round record for WNBA and NBA 3-point contests with a score of 37 points at the 2023 WNBA All-Star Game.
—Pueng Vongs, Mercury News, 18 July 2025
July 14, CBS News, 14 July 2025
Meanwhile, 20 of the 40 seats in the California State Senate (which has four-year terms) will also be contested.
—Kate Plummer, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for contest
Noun
Over the entire 2024 season, the league amassed 22 regular season games with more than 1 million viewers—and Clark and the Fever appeared in 21 of those contests.
—Jason Clinkscales, Sportico.com, 18 July 2025
Ionescu set the all-time single-round record for WNBA and NBA 3-point contests with a score of 37 points at the 2023 WNBA All-Star Game.
—Pueng Vongs, Mercury News, 18 July 2025
Verb
Many of the states are also parties to litigation filed earlier this year contesting layoffs at the federal agency and the White House's efforts to rollback diversity programming.
—July 14, CBS News, 14 July 2025
Meanwhile, 20 of the 40 seats in the California State Senate (which has four-year terms) will also be contested.
—Kate Plummer, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for contest
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contest
Noun
-
Despite the efforts, LG is contending with intensifying competition in Korea’s AI race, which has yet to see a clear winner.—
Zinnia Lee,
Forbes.com,
15 July 2025
-
While RuPaul holds the record, Klum is hot on her tail, as the Project Runway host returns to the fashion competition program on July 31 for the first time since 2017, as the show moves from Bravo to Freeform, Hulu, and Disney+.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
15 July 2025
Noun
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Other names appearing somewhere on tournament’s leaderboard include NFL players Travis and Jason Kelce, Sacramento Kings player Zach Lavine, and actors Miles Teller and Alfonso Ribeiro.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
14 July 2025
-
The men’s tournament will begin on June 11, 2026 in the United States, Mexico and Canada.—
Pete Grathoff
July 14,
Kansas City Star,
14 July 2025
Noun
-
The skirmish left the mother of Jones' child with a black eye.—
Chris Ramirez,
jsonline.com,
18 July 2025
-
The skirmish has thrust into the public eye a falling-out between two political heavyweights once seen as close allies.—
Douglas Hanks,
Miami Herald,
16 July 2025
Verb
-
Real-world data from 14 airports in China, including one in the challenging climate of Tibet, show that the material's properties fluctuated by just three percent over a year.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
19 July 2025
-
The four 18- to 20-year-olds challenging the age restriction have appealed that decision to the Supreme Court.—
Maureen Groppe,
USA Today,
19 July 2025
Noun
-
The plaintiffs in the lawsuit alleged Amazon didn't consider the Falcon 9 due to an intense and personal rivalry between Bezos and SpaceX founder Elon Musk.—
Eric Berger,
ArsTechnica,
18 July 2025
-
However, the trade rivalry between the U.S. and China has been weighing heavily on the industry.—
Christiaan Hetzner,
Fortune,
15 July 2025
Noun
-
At the end of the day, Brown and the event participants and attendees agreed the summit was a success.—
Gabrielle Chenault,
The Tennessean,
21 July 2025
-
Crashing out can stem from big or small stressors, and are likely to occur in those who do not have developed coping skills, are under a lot of stress, or experience emotional dysregulation (being unable to control and cope with life’s negative events).—
Angelica Bottaro,
Verywell Health,
20 July 2025
Noun
-
The injuries that eventually cut the third baseman’s career short began to take hold right before Forde lost a years-long battle with breast cancer.—
Abbey Mastracco,
Hartford Courant,
19 July 2025
-
Coming weeks after Lexington and Concord, the battle marked the British effort to control the hills surrounding Boston’s harbor.—
Brian T. Allen,
National Review,
19 July 2025
Verb
-
Carlson questioned why Epstein had never been asked about a connection with Barak or Mossad.—
Solcyré Burga,
Time,
14 July 2025
-
Some have questioned whether city commissioners can unilaterally change election dates — a decision that also changes the length of their current terms — without voter approval.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
14 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Contest.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contest. Accessed 24 Jul. 2025.
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