Synonyms of contests

contests 1 of 2

noun

plural of contest

1

as in rivalries

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

• rivalries
• competitions
• battles
• duels
• struggles
• confrontations
• contentions
• conflicts
• matches
• wars
• sweepstakes
• warfares
• dogfights
• clashes
• strifes
• ball games
• face-offs
• combats
• tugs-of-war
• showdowns
• debates
• grapples
• disputes
• disputations
• horse races
• collisions
• quarrels
• arguments
• nail-biters
• frictions
• controversies
• discords
• disagreements
• wrangles
• rows
• dissensions

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• harmonies
• concords
• peaces

2

as in tournaments

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

• tournaments
• competitions
• games
• events
• matches
• sports
• championships
• sweepstakes
• bouts
• tourneys
• matchups
• meets
• battles
• races
• athletics
• skirmishes
• nationals
• scrimmages
• semifinals
• tussles
• outings
• derbies
• finals
• struggles
• heats
• marathons
• runs
• conflicts
• triathlons
• rounds
• rallies
• tugs-of-war
• gymkhanas
• runoffs
• field days
• volleys
• play-offs
• rubbers
• decathlons
• biathlons
• nightcaps
• ultramarathons
• sudden deaths
• sets
• round-robins
• seesaws
• classics
• pentathlons
• heptathlons
• dead heats
• photo finishes

3

as in skirmishes

a physical dispute between opposing individuals or groups

what mighty contests have been waged on trivial matters

Synonyms & Similar Words

• skirmishes
• clashes
• fights
• battles
• scrimmages
• struggles
• brawls
• tussles
• scuffles
• duels
• dustups
• confrontations
• conflicts
• altercations
• frays
• fracases
• scraps
• combats
• scrums
• quarrels
• pitched battles
• disputes
• fistfights
• jousts
• slugfests
• blows
• hassles
• melees
• fisticuffs
• affrays
• broils
• controversies
• battles royal
• punch-outs
• squabbles
• tangles
• mix-ups
• spats
• face-offs
• ruckuses
• donnybrooks
• rows
• rough-and-tumbles
• wrangles
• catfights
• punch-ups
• free-for-alls
• arguments
• disagreements
• ructions
• contretemps
• tiffs
• kickups
• cross fires
• fallings-out
• misunderstandings
• handgrips
• grapples
• argle-bargles
• argy-bargies

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• truces

contests

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of contest

as in challenges

to demand proof of the truth or rightness of

vowed to contest the claim in court

Synonyms & Similar Words

• challenges
• questions
• disputes
• queries
• protests
• calls in question
• doubts
• oppugns
• impeaches
• objects (to)
• fights
• kicks (about)
• opposes
• resists
• combats
• mistrusts

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• believes
• accepts
• embraces
• supports
• swallows
• backs
• defends
• champions
• advocates
• promotes
• endures
• tolerates
• abides
• stomachs

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of contests

Noun

Five-win teams can qualify for a bowl if the NCAA needs to fill all the slots for the 35 traditional bowl contests. — Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 8 Nov. 2026

The Hurricanes wound up trailing 17-3 at halftime, after scoring at least 14 points and averaging 27 first-half points in their first eight contests this season. — CBS News, 8 Nov. 2026

Only the games against TCU and Notre Dame were one-score affairs, but the Cougars came out on top in both of the contests. — David Troy Outkick, FOXNews.com, 7 Nov. 2026

The Nittany Lions have won back-to-back Big Ten contests after starting their conference season 0-4. — ABC News, 7 Nov. 2026

Republicans were leading in three districts on Friday, but the contests had not been called by The Associated Press. — Anthony Man, Sun Sentinel, 7 Nov. 2026

This season’s Global Games move to Europe next, with January contests in Paris and Manchester, England. — Kurt Badenhausen, Sportico.com, 6 Nov. 2026

The contests in District 5, which includes the Broadneck Peninsula, and District 7, encompassing Crofton and South County, are the last outstanding races for the council. — Nats_syndicator, Baltimore Sun, 6 Nov. 2026

Iowa, which voted three times for Trump in presidential years, has competitive contests for governor, Senate and in three of its four House districts. — Arkansas Online, 23 Oct. 2026

Verb

In giving form to their resistance to Bicentennial events, the anti-catalog retrospectively contests any national fascia union in aesthetics, even though the role of the state was a spine. — Anna Kornbluh, ARTnews.com, 7 Oct. 2026

The threat posed by the Greens will be tested next week when the party’s leader, Zack Polanski, contests an election to become the next Member of Parliament (MP) in London’s Holborn and St Pancras constituency – Starmer’s seat for over a decade. — Billy Stockwell, CNN Money, 29 Sep. 2026

The previous winning country contests a challenger country, and yacht clubs compete against each other to represent their respective countries. — Madeleine Kashkooli, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Aug. 2026

The family’s future is in limbo as Jeanie Buss contests her five siblings’ plans to sell their remaining stake of the team. — Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2026

Water and Oxygen Disruption Phillips also contests the notion that weed fabrics are as breathable as they're advertised to be. — David Beaulieu, The Spruce, 21 May 2026

The current insurgency directly contests Pakistan’s capacity to deliver security in Balochistan. — Amira Jadoon, The Conversation, 13 May 2026

Here, Sarr successfully contests a 13-foot floater by Tyler Kolek. — Josh Robbins, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025

The high court’s decision did not address the underlying merits of the lawsuit, which contests the Department of Homeland Security’s revocation policy. — Syra Ortiz Blanes, Miami Herald, 18 Sep. 2025