1
as in competing
to engage in a contest
two traditional rivals contending for the championship
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in arguing
to state (something) as a reason in support of or against something under consideration
contended that the senator's considerable experience made him the best candidate
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in alleging
to state as a fact usually forcefully
contended that his opponent was wrong about practically everything
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of contending
The path is similar this time around, and Tampa Bay is coming off a resounding 40-17 victory over the playoff-contending Los Angeles Chargers.
—
Associated Pess, Orlando Sentinel, 22 Dec. 2024
Against this backdrop, the remainder of López's contract could be appealing to a contending team.
—Newsweek, 22 Dec. 2024
There are a couple distinctly different ways to build a contending major league baseball club.
—Tony Blengino, Forbes, 17 Dec. 2024
Kessler is a center that many teams, especially contending teams like the Lakers, would love to have on their roster.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 17 Dec. 2024
The Eagles, though with some controversy surrounding Hurts and Brown, have maintained the NFC East lead over the contending Washington Commanders.
—Ryan Gaydos, Fox News, 15 Dec. 2024
While other bubble contenders like Sing Sing and A Real Pain get a boost from heart-tugging performances, September 5’s unflashy ensemble has been largely overlooked, leaving Screenplay as its best chance at contending elsewhere.
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 14 Dec. 2024
The result of Fang’s investigations can be seen in the Oscar-contending documentary The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 13 Dec. 2024
Their interest points to a possible bidding war between the two American League East rivals, as well as several other contending teams, for the 30-year-old right-hander.
—Joseph Epstein, Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2024
Associated Pess, Orlando Sentinel, 22 Dec. 2024
Against this backdrop, the remainder of López's contract could be appealing to a contending team.
—Newsweek, 22 Dec. 2024
There are a couple distinctly different ways to build a contending major league baseball club.
—Tony Blengino, Forbes, 17 Dec. 2024
Kessler is a center that many teams, especially contending teams like the Lakers, would love to have on their roster.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 17 Dec. 2024
The Eagles, though with some controversy surrounding Hurts and Brown, have maintained the NFC East lead over the contending Washington Commanders.
—Ryan Gaydos, Fox News, 15 Dec. 2024
While other bubble contenders like Sing Sing and A Real Pain get a boost from heart-tugging performances, September 5’s unflashy ensemble has been largely overlooked, leaving Screenplay as its best chance at contending elsewhere.
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 14 Dec. 2024
The result of Fang’s investigations can be seen in the Oscar-contending documentary The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 13 Dec. 2024
Their interest points to a possible bidding war between the two American League East rivals, as well as several other contending teams, for the 30-year-old right-hander.
—Joseph Epstein, Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contending
Verb
-
Guys were out there competing their ass off trying to get a win.—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
8 Jan. 2025
-
Field size will expand a touch with over 20 creators competing in the events that will be enhanced by live ShotLink powered by CDW scoring/data, Trackman shot tracing and the same onscreen graphics pro game watchers have come to expect.—
Mike Dojc,
Forbes,
8 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
During the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 and 2021, the Biden administration paid out three rounds of stimulus checks to American households, arguing the move would stimulate the economy and help families get through the emergency.—
Hannah Parry,
Newsweek,
7 Mar. 2025
-
The president justified his decision by arguing that all three of the nations were not doing enough to curb the influx of drugs, specifically fentanyl, coming into the United States.—
Filip Timotija,
The Hill,
7 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Numerous lawsuits have been filed against the company in the years since it was recalled, alleging that the company's alkaline water contained a toxic chemical known as hydrazine, which is used in rocket fuel, that led to severe illness and sometimes death when consumed.—
Faisal Kutty,
Newsweek,
11 Mar. 2025
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That same month, a Denver District Court judge ordered seizure of his assets at the former Grabowski’s location to satisfy part of a $670,000 fee to award-winning chef Alex Seidel, who’d brought a suit alleging Leonard failed to repay a $155,000 loan.—
Miguel Otárola,
The Denver Post,
10 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Worthy’s lawyers, Chip Lewis and Sam Bassett, released a statement asserting the Chiefs receiver’s innocence, according to KXAN-TV.—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
10 Mar. 2025
-
Now’s the time for Canada to stop apologizing and start asserting.—
Dan Pontefract,
Forbes,
4 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Their suit argues the officers violated the comedians’ Fourth Amendment rights by insisting on searching their carry-on bags and unconstitutionally target flyers by race (both Andre and English are Black).—
Andrew Wimer,
Forbes.com,
9 Apr. 2025
-
Social-media posts showed images of smoke rising near the area, although Russian authorities did not acknowledge any strike on the airfield itself, insisting that air defenses had repelled the attack.—
Raja Krishnamoorthi,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Mikal Mahdi, seen in this photo provided by South Carolina Department of Corrections, was sentenced to death after pleading guilty to the murder of Orangeburg Public Safety Captain James Myers.—
Dakin Andone,
CNN Money,
10 Apr. 2025
-
Paxton was indicted in 2015 on securities fraud charges, ultimately reaching a settlement with prosecutors after pleading not guilty.—
Jonathan Easley,
The Hill,
9 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Throughout the crisis, staffers kept everyone safe while maintaining the same high level of service and hospitality.—
Lisa Cericola,
Southern Living,
11 Mar. 2025
-
Dichter’s research suggests that for superhot geothermal systems, maintaining the water’s supercritical temperature to the surface may not be essential for efficient power generation.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Duffy first sought to end the toll in February, declaring that his department had revoked a key federal authorization granted by the Biden administration last year — despite explicit guidelines in the authorization that only the state of New York can reverse it.—
Evan Simko-Bednarski,
New York Daily News,
8 Apr. 2025
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That law lets the president regulate economic transactions after declaring a national emergency.—
Aysha Bagchi,
USA Today,
8 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Contending.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contending. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.
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