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
-
The annual festival features multiple bock beers from local craft breweries, a sausage cooking competition, live music, from local musicians, local vendors, and the highlight of the day, multiple heats of racing goat.—
Kirby Adams,
The Courier-Journal,
30 July 2025
-
Now celebrating its 30th anniversary, Young Lions brought together nearly 460 emerging professionals this year from 67 markets worldwide for their Design, Digital, Film, Media, Marketers, PR, and Print competitions.—
IndieWire Staff,
IndieWire,
29 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
-
Democrats have been engaged in a big debate about their party's future for much of this year, including sharp criticisms of their leadership in Congress around how to effectively challenge Trump.—
Phillip M. Bailey,
USA Today,
31 July 2025
-
There are numerous other active lawsuits challenging Trump’s tariffs, but the V.O.S. case is the furthest one along and its outcome could dictate how other cases fare.—
Kevin Breuninger,Dan Mangan,
CNBC,
31 July 2025
Noun
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Trump's hardline trade stance, however, risks straining the delicate U.S.-India defense relationship, which has blossomed in recent years in a sign of India's geostrategic importance to the United States amid its rivalry with China.—
Amira El-Fekki,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 July 2025
-
Due to their ensuing real-life and fictional rivalry to reach the top of the WWE pinnacle, there was still some bad blood between Punk and Triple H as the latter moved into an executive position.—
Skyler Trepel,
People.com,
30 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 conservative-majority court has already knocked out a significant part of the law, but the new legal fronts could reshape decades-long precedent of legal battles over political power.—
Kristina Karisch,
The Hill,
31 July 2025
-
The conservancy's location is where multiple lion pride territories converge, creating opportunities to witness territorial battles and hunting behavior.—
Jenn Rice,
Travel + Leisure,
31 July 2025
Verb
-
The song captures Rumi’s internal struggle and her growing uncertainty about the road ahead, marking a shift in her journey from confident leader to someone questioning the cost of it all.—
Samantha Stutsman,
People.com,
14 July 2025
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Meanwhile, some comments under the original video questioned if the Pentagon had asked Metallica for permission to use the song, with many questioning whether the band would have agreed to do so.—
Peter Aitken,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Contest.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contest. Accessed 3 Aug. 2025.
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