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 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. 2018

Related Words for contesting

oppose, litigate, contend, defend, compete, vie, tangle, question, doubt, push, blast, debate, dispute, withstand, traverse, scuffle, wrangle, hassle, battle, row

Examples from the Web for contesting

Contemporary Examples of contesting

While he is not contesting the Jan. 22 election, Olmert remains politically active.
Explosive Allegations against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
Dan Ephron
January 16, 2013
Like Sarkozy, Hollande has been contesting elections since his 20s.
Can Sarkozy Survive?
Tracy McNicoll
October 17, 2011
This was, ultimately, a naked power struggle between two opposite poles with contesting visions of an Islamic republic.
The Thugs Who Lead Iran's Supreme Leader
Gary Sick
June 27, 2009

Historical Examples of contesting

The track was now so dusty that it was difficult to see the contesting cars.
Tom Swift and his Electric Runabout
Victor Appleton
This was, on the other hand, an age of city-states, each one contesting for leadership.
The World's Progress, Vol. I (of X)
Various
Better give your path to a dog than to be bitten by him in contesting for the right.
The Wonderful Story of Lincoln
Charles M. Stevens
Better give your path to a dog than be bitten by him in contesting for the right.
Abraham Lincoln
William Eleroy Curtis
By contesting every foot of ground the enemy was checked till night.
Life of Wm. Tecumseh Sherman.
W. Fletcher Johnson

British Dictionary definitions for contesting

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 contesting

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.

contest

1640s, from contest (v.).