contention

American  

[kuhn-ten-shuhn] / kənˈtɛn ʃən /

noun

• contentions
  plural

1. a struggling together in opposition; strife.

   Synonyms:

   combat, conflict

2. a striving in rivalry; competition; contest.

3. strife in debate; dispute; controversy.

   Synonyms:

   altercation, debate, dissension, disagreement

   Antonyms:

   agreement

4. a point contended for or affirmed in controversy.

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contention British  

/ kənˈtɛnʃən /

noun

1. a struggling between opponents; competition

2. dispute in an argument (esp in the phrase bone of contention )

3. a point asserted in argument

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contention Idioms  

1. see bone of contention.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• noncontention
  noun
• precontention
  noun
• contentional
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• contentions
  plural

Etymology

Origin of contention

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin contentiōn-, stem of contentiō; from content(us) “competed, striven” (past participle of contendere “to compete, strive, draw tight”; see contend) + -iō -ion

Explanation

There is nothing "content," or satisfying, about being in contention, and that's probably because the word contention means being in a competition that only one side can win. "And in this corner, the contender" is heard at most boxing matches to describe each of the fighters about to go into contention in the ring. Sometimes, though, a contention can be a battle of words or a struggle between two parties over a single point. The expression "bone of contention" describes a narrow object of disagreement that reaches the level of strife, or contention. For two hungry dogs, though, the bone of contention might be a serious matter.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

contention contentions

Sinner’s status remains murky—we could hear any minute now—but French Open winner and Wimbledon finalist Sasha Zverev has climbed into contention.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

She oversaw the Lakers’ fall out of contention at the end of Kobe Bryant’s career and its rebirth with the arrival of LeBron James and Luka Doncic.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026

Charter pushed back on that contention, saying it helped residents in the burn areas.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2026

Hull has had an eventful week in which she defended herself following a prank she played on her caddie and finishing joint sixth in The Open after starting the final day in contention.

From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026

The fact that the same joke, the same style, has no effect in France or England or Italy makes this contention valid.

From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck

Kalshi said in a filing on Tuesday that, contrary to the CME’s contentions, contracts don’t need a fixed expiration date to be legally classified as futures.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026

Indyke's lawyer, Daniel Weiner, said: "Mr Indyke and Mr Kahn deny all those contentions, including any allegations of fault, liability, wrongdoing or damages of any kind."

From BBC ● Mar. 10, 2026

American did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the union’s contentions.

From MarketWatch ● Jan. 28, 2026

The Ohio Supreme Court disagreed with both contentions.

From Slate ● Sep. 10, 2024

America, it appeared, had once been the home of a truly substantial creature–one that would surely disprove Buffon’s foolish Gallic contentions.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson

Related Words

• allegation
• assertion
• belief
• claim
• discussion
• explanation
• hypothesis
• idea
• opinion
• plea
• position
• thesis