contest
Americannoun
-
a race, conflict, or other competition between rivals, as for a prize.
- Synonyms:
- game, tourney, tournament, match, rivalry, contention
-
struggle for victory or superiority.
-
vigorous or bitter conflict in argument; dispute; controversy.
Their marriage was marred by perpetual contest.
- Synonyms:
- opposition, disagreement, difference, clash, altercation, antagonism, discord, strife
verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
noun
-
a formal game or match in which two or more people, teams, etc, compete and attempt to win
-
a struggle for victory between opposing forces or interests
verb
-
(tr) to try to disprove; call in question
-
to fight, dispute, or contend (with)
contest an election
Synonym Usage
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
contesternoun
-
uncontestableadjective
-
contestableadjective
-
subcontestnoun
-
precontestverb (used with object)
-
precontestnoun
-
contestablyadverb
-
uncontestablyadverb
-
supercontestnoun
-
contestablenessnoun
-
contestinglyadverb
-
recontestverb
-
contestationnoun
-
supercontestverb (used with object)
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
has contestedperfect 3rd person singular
-
have contestedperfect
-
are contestingprogressive
-
have been contestingperfect progressive
-
contestingparticiple
-
am contestingprogressive 1st person singular
-
has been contestingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
-
is contestingprogressive 3rd person singular
-
contestssingular 3rd person
Past
-
had contestedperfect
-
were contestingprogressive plural
-
contestedparticiple
-
was contestingprogressive singular
-
had been contestingperfect progressive
-
contestedsimple
Future
Etymology
Origin of contest
First recorded in 1595–1605; (verb) from Latin contestāri “to call to witness (in a lawsuit),” equivalent to con- con- + testārī “to testify, ” derivative of testis witness; the noun is derivative of the verb, or is from French conteste
Explanation
A contest is a struggle to determine who's tops –- you might wrestle an alligator in a contest of brute strength versus strategy. You can also enter a contest — a yodeling contest or a cake-decorating contest, depending on your talents. If you're being sued and you respond to the court order saying "no contest," you're saying you're not going to put up a fight. When you put the accent on the second syllable, contest becomes a verb, and it means to dispute something. You lost the election for class president, but you think there was something fishy going on at the ballot box, so you contest the results and ask for a recount.
Vocabulary lists containing contest
Beowulf vocabulary
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Thomas Jefferson's First Inaugural Address (1801)
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Orbiting Jupiter
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The 27-year-old upset the odds to secure her country's first-ever victory at the Eurovision Song Contest, proving herself a winner once the votes came in from around the continent.
From Barron's • May 17, 2026
For seven decades, the Eurovision Song Contest -- which gathers performers from across Europe and further afield, selected by each country's public broadcasting service -- has delighted and, at times, baffled spectators.
From Barron's • May 16, 2026
Actor Will Ferrell, whose 2020 film “Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga” memorably spoofed the competition, recorded a short video shown at the semifinal.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 16, 2026
From Johnny Logan and Dana to years of dominance in the early 1990s, Ireland has a storied history with the Eurovision Song Contest.
From BBC • May 15, 2026
Or what my father thought about a Trivia Contest on the New York Yankees that didn’t have a single question about the Babe?
From "Okay for Now" by Gary D. Schmidt
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
