contend

Verb

contend (third-person singular simple present contends, present participle contending, simple past and past participle contended)

1. (intransitive) To be in opposition; to contest; to dispute; to vie; to quarrel; to fight.
   • The Lord said unto me, Distress not the Moabites, neither contend with them in battle.1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Deuteronomy 2:9
   • For never two such kingdoms did contend without much fall of blood.1599 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Life of Henry the Fift”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount...

   Synonyms:

   fight, combat, vie, oppose

2. (intransitive) To struggle or exert oneself to obtain or retain possession of, or to defend.
   • 17th century, John Dryden, Epistle III to the Lady Castlemain
     You sit above, and see vain men below / Contend for what you only can bestow.
   • God has entrusted something to the church, and it is the church's job to contend for it, even unto death2020, C. Matthew McMahon, Therese B. McMahon, 5 Marks of Christian Resolve

   Synonyms:

   struggle, strive, emulate

3. (intransitive) To be in debate; to engage in discussion; to dispute; to argue.
   • these simple ideas are far from those innate principles which some contend for1689 (indicated as 1690), [John Locke], chapter 2, in An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding. […], London: […] Eliz[abeth] Holt, for Thomas Basset, […], →OCLC, book I, page 9
   • many of those things he so fiercely contended about , were either falle or trivial1667, attributed to Richard Allestree, The Causes of the Decay of Christian Piety. […], London: […] R. Norton for T. Garthwait, […], →OCLC

   Synonyms:

   contest, litigate, dispute, debate

4. (intransitive) To believe (something is reasonable) and argue (for it); to advocate.
   • In this paper the author contends that no useful results can be obtained if this method is used.
   • Some panellists contended that the costs of research and care justified the establishment of a permanent national commission1996, Michael Adler, Erio Ziglio, Gazing Into the Oracle […]

   Synonyms:

   assert, aver, submit

5. To try to cope with a difficulty or problem.
   • However, the challenges for the railway world are much greater than for automotive as we generally have more occupants, higher speeds, greater masses, higher energies, and an absence of seatbelts or airbags to contend with.2021 December 29, Dominique Louis, “Causal analysis: crashworthiness at Sandilands”, in RAIL, number 947, page 32