contest
Americannoun
-
contests
plural
-
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)
-
contests,
present (3rd person singular)
-
contested,
past participle, past
-
contesting
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
contests,
present (3rd person singular)
-
contested,
past participle, past
-
contesting
present participle
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
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contestablenessnoun
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contestationnoun
-
contesternoun
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precontestnoun
-
subcontestnoun
-
supercontestnoun
-
recontestverb
-
precontestverb (used with object)
-
supercontestverb (used with object)
-
contestableadjective
-
uncontestableadjective
-
contestablyadverb
-
contestinglyadverb
-
uncontestablyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
contestsimple
-
contestssimple
-
have contestedperfect
-
has contestedperfect
-
am contestingprogressive
-
are contestingprogressive
-
is contestingprogressive
-
have been contestingperfect progressive
-
has been contestingperfect progressive
Past
-
contestedsimple
-
had contestedperfect
-
was contestingprogressive
-
were contestingprogressive
-
had been contestingperfect progressive
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.
See Examples For:
In perhaps the highest-profile contest, former public health official Abdul El-Sayed is facing Republican Mike Rogers for the seat being vacated by retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2026
In that simple contest, the electromagnetic force produced by the magnet easily overcomes gravity.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 20, 2026
If Sunday’s game isn’t a must-win for the Chargers, it’s certainly a high-stakes contest on the heels of an opening flop against the Arizona Cardinals.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
This hasn't been a particularly ill-tempered contest, and there aren't vast ideological differences between Joe Fagan and Michael Marra.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
“I’ll never be ready for the contest if I don’t do better than that.”
From "Trouble at the Arcade (The Hardy Boys: Secret Files, #1)" by Franklin W. Dixon
The cumulative score over the seven contests is 450-49.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026
Three costume contests, judged by Waters and his guests, are full-on productions with stage blood and plenty of references to the director’s films.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026
Céline Dion tribute boat cruises on Seine - complete with costume contests, sing-alongs, DJ sets, are happening throughout September.
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026
There are more than a dozen gubernatorial contests with at least some degree of competition, including close races in Ohio, Georgia and Wisconsin.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2026
The day’s schedule is full of pep rallies, contests, and alumni tours.
From "Dumplin'" by Julie Murphy
Because of his adherence to a strictly chronological presentation of events, the narrative shifts abruptly from one theater of the contested continent to another, often several times in a single chapter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
His best finish came in 1976, when he netted just shy of 59,000 votes, though the exact count is contested.
From Slate ● Sep. 18, 2026
He was mostly there to attend the final two rounds of the Irish Open golf tournament, being contested at a resort he owns in County Clare.
From Salon ● Sep. 15, 2026
More than two million voters are eligible to vote for 80 parliament seats being contested by 13 parties.
From Barron's ● Sep. 13, 2026
Much of the southern highlands were “debatable lands” in the border sense of a contested territory without established government or the rule of law.
From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell
The couple is contesting the IRS’s claims in tax court, arguing their financial moves align with standard industry practices.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026
Earlier this year, the firm signed a 12-month agreement worth $1.2 million with Atiku Abubakar, who is contesting the Nigerian presidency.
From Barron's ● Sep. 3, 2026
That history is why contesting the constitutional allocation of public safety cannot mean giving private people authority to govern vulnerable people.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
“Waymo reviews all received citations and may engage with the court to address and resolve them, including contesting cases on their merit if we believe they were issued erroneously,” a company spokesman said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
Nothing much happened in court, other than Du Bois announcing his plans to file a motion contesting the decision to try Richard as an adult.
From "The 57 Bus" by Dashka Slater
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.
