contingents

Definition of contingentsnext
plural of contingent
1
as in delegations
a body of persons chosen as representatives of a larger group the local Scout troop traditionally sends a large contingent to the jamboree

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2
as in events
something that might happen officials in charge of managing the national emergency tried to prepare for every contingent, no matter how improbable

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 contingents That’s how many NBC ordered this season — five dramas and three comedies — and the crop may have produced as many strong series contenders as the contingents of 20-25 pilots the networks used to pick up in a single year back in the day. Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 1 May 2026 The first military contingents of the larger, more heavily armed force with personnel drawn from several African and South Asian countries, along with Guatemala and El Salvador, are expected to arrive in Haiti in the next few days. Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 30 Apr. 2026 While a few small contingents represented Iowa in the war's eastern theater, the west was where Iowans mainly engaged. Bill Steiden, Des Moines Register, 24 Mar. 2026 The force includes contingents from Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and Oklahoma, with units rotating in and out of the District on staggered timelines. Steven Beynon, ABC News, 20 Mar. 2026 Expected to draw more than 30,000 attendees, this year’s parade will include 111 contingents and 4,500 people. Lisa Hix, Mercury News, 17 Feb. 2026 With athletes spread across four clusters, even the countries with larger contingents were walking in smaller numbers at each venue. Zack Pierce, New York Times, 7 Feb. 2026 Those comments have caused a lot of confusion and angst among European governments—many of whom have sent small military contingents to Greenland, not really as a show of force as much as a signal of disapproval. Connor Okeeffe, Oc Register, 21 Jan. 2026 The changes have been celebrated by some conservative lawmakers, anti-trans groups and some contingents of parents and athletes who believe trans women’s participation tips the scales of fairness. Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN Money, 18 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contingents
Noun
  • Photos from the banquet showed members of the two delegations mingling.
    Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 May 2026
  • In addition, delegations are encouraged to travel in the most climate-friendly way possible.
    Christine Mortag, Condé Nast Traveler, 13 May 2026
Noun
  • About 1,000 children with intellectual disabilities from 26 states and Canada who ranged in age from 8 to 18 gathered at Soldier Field in Chicago to compete in 200 events.
    Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 23 May 2026
  • Three species of bats inhabit the site, and supernatural events—including the appearance of the gamekeeper’s ghost and the wail of a banshee—have been reported.
    Patricia Doherty, Travel + Leisure, 22 May 2026
Noun
  • Many people still associate these feelings of modern belonging with the loftiest human possibilities; hence the powerful emotions that are generated when they are brought together—at the Olympic Games, for instance, or the United Nations headquarters in New York.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 May 2026
  • And mistaking one for the other is another legacy of how the Cold War foreshortened the humanistic possibilities of the intellectual revolution of the past eighty years—a revolution that has, miraculously, allowed people to communicate with machines using human languages.
    Jill Lepore, New Yorker, 18 May 2026
Noun
  • The lease will be subject to various contingencies that allow local governments to fund portions of the project.
    Lucy Marques, The Orlando Sentinel, 16 May 2026
  • According to him, skilled buyer agents actively communicate with listing agents to uncover what matters most to sellers outside of standard contingencies.
    Connie Etemadi, USA Today, 13 May 2026
Noun
  • But some cases date back to 2014, when Russian soldiers invaded the Crimean Peninsula and pro-Russia forces started fighting in eastern Ukraine.
    Dan Bashakov, Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2026
  • In some cases, value starts to soften not because the business is weak, but because the growth story is not fully proven.
    David Chapman, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Contingents.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contingents. Accessed 24 May. 2026.

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