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:
By rolling funds from those other plans or IRAs into the current employer’s plan, workers do not have to contend with RMDs until they stop working.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 29, 2026
He said he expects mud will be something attendees will need to contend with this year.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
Moreover, such information provides immediate clarity to markets, they contend, especially during turbulent episodes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
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
She reported that she “fully understood the practical difficulties most women had to contend with...the chaotic conditions into which everything fell without her constant supervision, and the wearied, anxious look of the majority of women.”
From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling
This, he contends, is more aligned with the foraging behavior of our ancestors, who were flexible and sought the best of what was available.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
Raman contends that Bass’ signature program Inside Safe, which dismantles encampments and moves people living there into motels, hotels and interim housing, is overly expensive and unsustainable.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 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
The “Anything But Bonds” trope will only end, Hartnett contends, if Warsh signals hawkish at the Jackson Hole symposium Aug. 28, and both the Fed and Bank of Japan tighten monetary policy in September.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026
On the other hand, Dr. Wayland Hayes of the United States Public Health Service contends that in every individual a point of equilibrium is reached, and that DDT in excess of this amount is excreted.
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
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
Taco Bell, the fourth-largest U.S. fast-food chain by sales, has contended with its own episodes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 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
O’Brien contended it was Thornton’s privilege to knock the runners loose, leaving Buck to “break it out” from a dead standstill.
From "The Call of the Wild" by Jack London
"Bringing together groups with contending understandings of the Ethiopian state, for the first time ever, itself has been a successful exercise," said Alamrew Yirdaw, a participant from the Amhara region.
From Barron's ● Aug. 31, 2026
They noted that ICE already is contending with criticism for multiple deaths in custody and during arrests.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
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
Gray challenged the laws themselves, contending that the provisions of Alabama’s laws and Montgomery’s city ordinances requiring racial segregation were unconstitutional.
From "Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice" by Phillip Hoose
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.
