contest

[noun kon-test; verb kuhn-test]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR contest ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a race, conflict, or other competition between rivals, as for a prize.

struggle for victory or superiority.

strife in argument; dispute; controversy: Their marriage was marred by perpetual contest.

verb (used with object)

to struggle or fight for, as in battle.

to argue against; dispute: to contest a controversial question; to contest a will.

to call in question: They contested his right to speak.

to contend for in rivalry.

verb (used without object)

to dispute; contend; compete.

Origin of contest

1595–1605; (v.) < Latin contestāri to call to witness (in a lawsuit), equivalent to con- con- + testārī to testify, derivative of testis witness; (noun) derivative of the v., or < French conteste

Related formscon·test·a·ble, adjectivecon·test·a·ble·ness, nouncon·test·a·bly, adverbcon·test·er, nouncon·test·ing·ly, adverbpre·con·test, verb (used with object)pre·con·test, nounre·con·test, verbsub·con·test, nounsu·per·con·test, nounsu·per·con·test, verb (used with object)un·con·test·a·ble, adjectiveun·con·test·a·bly, adverbun·con·test·ed, adjectiveun·con·test·ed·ly, adverbwell-con·test·ed, adjective

Can be confusedcontend contest

Synonyms for contest

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR contest ON THESAURUS.COM

1. contention, rivalry, match, tournament, tourney, game. 2. battle, encounter. 3. debate, polemic, altercation. 5. controvert, oppose. 6. challenge. 7. strive, compete, vie.

Synonym study

2. See fight. 4. See compete.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for contest

discussion, tournament, trial, game, sport, meeting, challenge, match, brawl, action, conflict, battle, rivalry, debate, encounter, oppose, litigate, contend, defend, compete

Examples from the Web for contest

Contemporary Examples of contest

Judging the contest are four prominent figures in the adult entertainment business with years of experience.
Inside ‘The Sex Factor’: Where 16 Men and Women Vie For Porn Immortality
Aurora Snow
November 22, 2014
In 1998, she was selected to represent Israel in the prestigious Eurovision contest, winning first place.
Trans in the Holy Land: ‘Marzipan Flowers,’ Tal Kallai, and the Shattering of Israel’s LGBT Taboos
Itay Hod
November 4, 2014
And as for Landrieu, as I said, it seems to look still as if her contest is headed to a run-off.
Why You Can’t Tell the Truth About Race
Michael Tomasky
November 3, 2014
Despite these financial disadvantages, Grimes has kept the contest fairly close.
Mystery Man Buys Kentucky for the GOP
Center for Public Integrity
October 29, 2014
But before the national pundits and prognosticators write off the Kentucky contest, they should hold their horses.
Those Alison Lundergan Grimes Obituaries Were Premature—She’s Hanging On
Jonathan Miller
October 23, 2014

Historical Examples of contest

Down the hill they thundered, over the brook and up to the scene of the contest.
The White Company
Arthur Conan Doyle
And she came out of the contest weakened by each victory over her heart.
The Dream
Emile Zola
A strife of interests masquerading as a contest of principles.
The Devil's Dictionary
Ambrose Bierce
They entered into the contest, therefore, with their usual vigour, and their usual cruelty.
The Life of Horatio Lord Nelson
Robert Southey
It must be a miserable imposture, indeed, that does not prevail in that contest.
An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding
David Hume

British Dictionary definitions for contest

contest

noun (ˈkɒntɛst)

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 (kənˈtɛst)

(tr) to try to disprove; call in question

(when intr, foll by with or against) to fight, dispute, or contend (with)contest an election

Derived Formscontestable, adjectivecontestableness or contestability, nouncontestably, adverbcontestation, nouncontester, nouncontestingly, adverb

Word Origin for contest

C16: from Latin contestārī to introduce a lawsuit, from testis witness

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

Word Origin and History for contest

c.1600, from French contester "dispute, oppose," from Middle French, from Latin contestari (litem) "to call to witness, bring action," from com- "together" (see com-) + testari "to bear witness," from testis "a witness," (see testament). Calling witnesses as the first step in a legal combat. Related: Contestable; contested; contesting.

1640s, from contest (v.).