Synonyms

contend

American

[kuhn-tend] / kənˈtɛnd /

verb (used without object)

to struggle in opposition.

to contend with the enemy for control of the port.

Synonyms:

fight, battle, grapple, wrestle
to strive in rivalry; compete; vie.

to contend for first prize.
to strive in debate; dispute earnestly.

to contend against falsehood.

Synonyms:

wrangle, argue

Antonyms:

agree

verb (used with object)

to assert or maintain earnestly.

He contended that taxes were too high.

Synonyms:

claim, hold

contend British

/ kənˈtɛnd /

verb

to struggle in rivalry, battle, etc; vie
to argue earnestly; debate
(tr; may take a clause as object) to assert or maintain

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Related Words

See compete.

Other Word Forms

contender noun
contendingly adverb
noncontending adjective
precontend verb (used without object)
recontend verb (used without object)
uncontended adjective
uncontending adjective

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”; con-, tend ¹

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.

She and others contend the geotubes were originally approved as a temporary fix.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026

Fund managers contend that AI will affect each software company differently and that some will adapt or even benefit.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026

I admire Stones so much as a person that I hope he gets enough football and game time to trust his body with the various injury problems he has had to contend with.

From BBC • Mar. 29, 2026

Neither are the industry’s current problems just a case of a few bad loans, as its boosters contend.

From Barron's • Mar. 27, 2026

“I contend it is a possibility, at the very least.”

From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023