1
as in competition
an earnest effort for superiority or victory over another
the eternal contest between the forces of good and the forces of evil
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in tournament
a competitive encounter between individuals or groups carried on for amusement, exercise, or in pursuit of a prize
a contest for the gold medal in diving
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in skirmish
a physical dispute between opposing individuals or groups
what mighty contests have been waged on trivial matters
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to challenge
to demand proof of the truth or rightness of
vowed to contest the claim in court
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of contest
Alexis Simendinger, The Hill, 2 Apr. 2025
After all, the Red Sox are only five contests into this 162-game slate.
—Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 2 Apr. 2025
Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 31 Mar. 2025
New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell will be out of state Friday when a judge hears arguments for her lawsuit contesting the city's temporary ban on non-essential travel.
—Carlie Kollath Wells, Axios, 28 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for contest
Noun
In Florida, the victors in special elections for two House seats were Republican candidates in contests that Democrats hoped might reveal early clues about the political climate ahead of the 2026 midterms.
—Alexis Simendinger, The Hill, 2 Apr. 2025
After all, the Red Sox are only five contests into this 162-game slate.
—Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 2 Apr. 2025
Verb
Schiavo's parents contested that course of action in court, eventually seeking the backing of Jeb Bush and state lawmakers.
—Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 31 Mar. 2025
New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell will be out of state Friday when a judge hears arguments for her lawsuit contesting the city's temporary ban on non-essential travel.
—Carlie Kollath Wells, Axios, 28 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for contest
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contest
Noun
-
The major driver for the decline in coal use is the economic competition with cheaper and cleaner fuels, such as natural gas and renewables, Ryna Cui, research director for the Center for Global Sustainability at the University of Maryland, told ABC News.—
Julia Jacobo,
ABC News,
10 Apr. 2025
-
That also plays out of competition in Cannes Premiere.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
10 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The Miami guard scored 30 points, and the team’s loss put them in the 10th spot in the playoffs – at the edge of the play-in tournament.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
10 Apr. 2025
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The Heat can finish the regular season anywhere between eighth and 10th place in the East, as the NBA’s play-in tournament features the seventh-through-10th-place teams competing for the final two playoff seeds in each conference.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
10 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The clashes are a sign of growing tensions at the Lebanon-Syria border, northeast of the Beqaa valley, where predominantly Shiite Lebanese villages have seen skirmishes with Syrian soldiers in recent weeks.—
Nadeen Ebrahim,
CNN,
17 Mar. 2025
-
After his skirmish with Diarra, Neal waved his arms to fire up Creighton fans in the sellout crowd.—
Ryan Morik,
Fox News,
15 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Spoelstra unsuccessfully challenged that second Adebayo foul, left without a challenge the balance of the night.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
3 Apr. 2025
-
This modular approach challenges the old assumptions about what influence looks like.—
Benjamin Laker,
Forbes.com,
2 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Ricky Steamboat From Clash Of The Champions 6 The intense rivalry between Ricky Steamboat and Flair produced some of the most celebrated matches in professional wrestling history.—
Josh Hammer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Apr. 2025
-
The sports drama, inspired by the real-life rivalry between Go masters Cho Hun-hyun and Lee Chang-ho, earned $3.5 million from 544,259 admissions, securing 61.74% of the weekend market share, according to Kobis, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
31 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Infantino confirmed in an address to UEFA’s annual congress in Belgrade that the U.S., probably alongside other Concacaf members, had a clear path to stage the event.—
Samindra Kunti,
Forbes.com,
3 Apr. 2025
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To submit events To submit a community event for online publication, email information at least two weeks before the event to [email protected].—
Orlando Sentinel Staff,
The Orlando Sentinel,
3 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Michael Mann, Francis Ford Coppola, Nicolas Cage Pay Tribute to Actor By the time the sequel was filmed and finally came out — there were COVID delays as Tom Cruise (rightly) insisted on a theatrical release — Kilmer was quite deep into his battle with throat cancer.—
Tony Maglio,
HollywoodReporter,
2 Apr. 2025
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And maybe the downfall is that Lex has decided what's right between those two and which should win out, whereas Superman and Lois are in a constant battle about what is right, so they each get checked by the other.—
Mike Miller,
EW.com,
2 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The shooting Saturday in Pocatello outraged the boy's family and neighbors as well as viewers online who questioned why the officers opened fire within about 12 seconds of exiting their patrol cars while making no apparent effort to de-escalate the situation or use less lethal weapons.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
9 Apr. 2025
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Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes The government has long had broad discretion to question and search noncitizens before admitting them into the country.—
Albert Sun,
New York Times,
9 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Contest.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contest. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
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