contend
Americanverb (used without object)
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contends,
present (3rd person singular)
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contended,
past participle, past
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contending
present participle
verb (used with object)
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contends,
present (3rd person singular)
-
contended,
past participle, past
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contending
present participle
verb
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to struggle in rivalry, battle, etc; vie
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to argue earnestly; debate
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(tr; may take a clause as object) to assert or maintain
Synonym Usage
See compete.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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contendernoun
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precontendverb (used without object)
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recontendverb (used without object)
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noncontendingadjective
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uncontendedadjective
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uncontendingadjective
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contendinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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contendsimple
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contendssimple
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have contendedperfect
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has contendedperfect
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am contendingprogressive
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are contendingprogressive
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is contendingprogressive
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have been contendingperfect progressive
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has been contendingperfect progressive
Past
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contendedsimple
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had contendedperfect
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was contendingprogressive
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were contendingprogressive
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had been contendingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of contend
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English contenden, from Anglo-French contendre, from Latin contendere “to compete, strive, draw tight,” equivalent to con- prefix meaning “with, together” + tendere “to stretch”; see con-, tend 1
Explanation
To defend a belief or keep affirming that it's true is to contend. People used to contend that the earth was flat, but eventually, when no one dropped off the edge no matter how far they traveled, the "round" theory won. One of the meanings of contend is from the French "to strive with," and it is a literal fighting, as in "to contend with fists." Most contemporary uses of the verb contend illustrate competitions of proof or defense, where a person will contend that something is true, or better, or wrong. It is still a striving but more of a verbal kind, where what you contend is what you hope to convince others is correct.
Vocabulary lists containing contend
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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The SAT: Language of the Test, List 5
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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:
The 1994 case about the internment of Japanese American citizens is still relevant today as the Supreme Court has failed to fully contend with its legacy.
From Slate ● Aug. 20, 2026
They contend the costs and energy demands of producing and distributing it make it inferior to batteries in almost every case.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
Having suffered a fall in the 800m semi-finals, Audrey Werro may have to contend with physical and mental consequences in the finals as she faces stiff competition from Keely Hodgkinson and Femke Broeders-Bol.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
Regarding his military options, US media report that Trump must contend with rapid depletion of stocks of certain missiles and drones.
From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026
If the union could bring all workers together, it would be a powerful force to contend with.
From "A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919" by Claire Hartfield
The investments are already paying off, Levanon contends.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026
Reported talk of sailors debating whether to jump off the ship is overblown, he contends, recalling jokes that were made during his time on an aircraft carrier.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
He contends that no one has yet come up with “a single case of a demonstrably innocent person executed in America in the modern era.”
From Slate ● Aug. 13, 2026
At the same time, she contends that her administration has made major strides, keeping about 80% of the locations visited by Inside Safe free of tents in recent weeks.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 9, 2026
No responsible person contends that insect-borne disease should be ignored.
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
Prosecutors argued the murders were premeditated, while her defense contended she had been suffering from postpartum psychosis and depression, and that she wasn’t properly treated or diagnosed by care providers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
Months after that, the Phoenix’s media critic Dan Kennedy contended that it is our obligation to watch such difficult accounts in an essay for Harvard’s Nieman Foundation.
From Salon ● Aug. 6, 2026
Consumer Watchdog contended in its lawsuit that the surcharges violated Proposition 103 — the 1988 measure that governs insurer rate hikes — because the proposition does not allow for them.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026
“Bessent and Warsh are working as a team,” Yardeni contended in a new research note posted to his site, Yardeni Quick Takes.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026
Now she, who had been impatient once, and violent, who had cursed and shouted and contended like a man, moved into silence, contending only, and with the last measure of her strength, with God.
From "Go Tell It on the Mountain" by James Baldwin
Military on the Lincoln are reportedly contending with food shortages, broken plumbing and exhaustion, according to two US publications that cover the military - the Military Times and Stars & Stripes.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
For Chinese manufacturers contending with weaker demand at home and new trade barriers in the West, the market for halal goods offers an attractive source of growth.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 12, 2026
That marked the slowest growth since the end of 2022, when the country was contending with the economic fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026
After the eight-day-long fire in a 500,000-square-foot Boyle Heights warehouse, eastern Los Angeles residents are contending with putrid smells, soot and potentially hazardous airborne chemicals after heavy plumes of smoke spread throughout the city.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
It is a primitive way of contending with an opponent.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
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.
