contest

[con·test]

A contest is a struggle to determine who's tops – you might wrestle an alligator in a contest of brute strength versus strategy. You can also enter a contest a yodeling contest or a cake decorating contest, depending on your talents.

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To make a subject of dispute, contention, litigation, or emulation; to contend for; to call in question; to controvert; to oppose; to dispute.

Noun
a struggle between rivals

Noun
an occasion on which a winner is selected from among two or more contestants

Verb
to make the subject of dispute, contention, or litigation; "They contested the outcome of the race"

v. t.
To make a subject of dispute, contention, litigation, or emulation; to contend for; to call in question; to controvert; to oppose; to dispute.

v. t.
To strive earnestly to hold or maintain; to struggle to defend; as, the troops contested every inch of ground.

v. t.
To make a subject of litigation; to defend, as a suit; to dispute or resist; as a claim, by course of law; to controvert.

v. i.
To engage in contention, or emulation; to contend; to strive; to vie; to emulate; -- followed usually by with.

n.
Earnest dispute; strife in argument; controversy; debate; altercation.

n.
Earnest struggle for superiority, victory, defense, etc.; competition; emulation; strife in arms; conflict; combat; encounter.

Contest

Con*test" , v. t. [imp. & p.p. Contested; p.pr. & vb.n. Contesting.] [F. contester, fr. L. contestari to call to witness, contestari litem to introduce a lawsuit by calling witnesses, to bring an action; con- + testari to be a witness, testic witness. See Testify.] 1. To make a subject of dispute, contention, litigation, or emulation; to contend for; to call in question; to controvert; to oppose; to dispute.
The people . . . contested not what was done.
Few philosophical aphorisms have been more frequenty repeated, few more contested than this.
2. To strive earnestly to hold or maintain; to struggle to defend; as, the troops contested every inch of ground. 3. (Law) To make a subject of litigation; to defend, as a suit; to dispute or resist; as a claim, by course of law; to controvert. To contest an election. (Polit.) (a) To strive to be elected. (b) To dispute the declared result of an election. Syn. -- To dispute; controvert; debate; litigate; oppose; argue; contend.

Contest

Con*test", v. i. To engage in contention, or emulation; to contend; to strive; to vie; to emulate; -- followed usually by with.
The difficulty of an argument adds to the pleasure of contesting with in, when there are hopes of victory.
Of man, who dares in pomp with Jove contest?

Contest

Con"test , n. 1. Earnest dispute; strife in argument; controversy; debate; altercation.
Leave all noisy contests, all immodest clamors and brawling language.
2. Earnest struggle for superiority, victory, defense, etc.; competition; emulation; strife in arms; conflict; combat; encounter.
The late battle had, in effect, been a contest between one usurper and another.
It was fully expected that the contest there would be long and fierce.
Syn. -- Conflict; combat; battle; encounter; shock; struggle; dispute; altercation; debate; controvesy; difference; disagreement; strife. -- Contest, Conflict, Combat, Encounter. Contest is the broadest term, and had originally no reference to actual fighting. It was, on the contrary, a legal term signifying to call witnesses, and hence came to denote first a struggle in argument, and then a struggle for some common object between opposing parties, usually one of considerable duration, and implying successive stages or acts. Conflict denotes literally a close personal engagement, in which sense it is applied to actual fighting. It is, however, more commonly used in a figurative sense to denote strenuous or direct opposition; as, a mental conflict; conflicting interests or passions; a conflict of laws. An encounter is a direct meeting face to face. Usually it is a hostile meeting, and is then very nearly coincident with conflict; as, an encounter of opposing hosts. Sometimes it is used in a looser sense; as, "this keen encounter of our wits." Shak. Combat is commonly applied to actual fighting, but may be used figuratively in reference to a strife or words or a struggle of feeling.

To make a subject of dispute, contention, litigation, or emulation; to contend for; to call in question; to controvert; to oppose; to dispute.

To engage in contention, or emulation; to contend; to strive; to vie; to emulate; -- followed usually by with.

Earnest dispute; strife in argument; controversy; debate; altercation.

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Usage Examples

A whopping 89 percent of buyers start their home search online. How your house looks online is the modern equivalent of 'curb appeal.' Rent a wide-angle lens and good lighting, get rid of your clutter and post at least eight great photos to win the beauty contest.

I thought it might be a good move to get into a beauty contest so I tried for Miss Pennsylvania and won. I think that helped me get noticed, at least by the people of Pennsylvania.

Surely these women won't lose any more of their beauty and charm by putting a ballot in a ballot box once a year than they are likely to lose standing in foundries or laundries all year round. There is no harder contest than the contest for bread, let me tell you that.

I'm not out here to win a beauty contest.

For Forms of Government let fools contest whatever is best administered is best.

Although my seat is a contest between Labour and the Lib Dems, it could well make the difference between a Labour and a Tory government at the next election. In terms of international development, this choice is a very clear one.

In all honesty, at that time, I never saw myself as an author... I was just a Mom in a state of panic, trying to enter a short story contest to win the prize money in order to keep the lights on in my home.

Misspelled Form

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Other Usage Examples

Children must be considered in a divorce considered valuable pawns in the nasty legal and financial contest that is about to ensue.

Politics: A strife of interests masquerading as a contest of principles. The conduct of public affairs for private advantage.

The contest for ages has been to rescue liberty from the grasp of executive power.

In those days, boxing was very glamorous and romantic. You listened to fights on the radio, and a good announcer made it seem like a contest between gladiators.

Science is properly more scrupulous than dogma. Dogma gives a charter to mistake, but the very breath of science is a contest with mistake, and must keep the conscience alive.

I had ordered long legs, but they never arrived. My eyes are weird too, one is gray and the other is green. I have a crooked smile and my nose looks like a ski slope. No, I would not win a Miss contest.

We won a contest at the teen fair in Vancouver and the first prize was a recording contract and we recorded at a radio station on the stairway, and we did a record and it got put out.

I like intelligent women. When you go out, it shouldn't be a staring contest.