I. kənˈtest also ˈkänˌt- verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle French contester, from Latin contestari to call to witness & contestari ( litem ) to introduce (a lawsuit) by calling witnesses, bring an action, from com- + testari to be a witness, from testis witness — more at testis
transitive verb
1. : to make the subject of dispute, contention, or battle
contest a seat in congress
contest an issue
contest a prize
contest every inch of land in their retreat
2. : to make a subject of litigation : dispute or resist by course of law : defend
contest a suit
: controvert
intransitive verb
: strive , vie
contest with an opponent in argument
contest against too strict regulations
Synonyms:
resist , withstand , oppose , fight , combat , conflict , antagonize : these terms indicate a setting of one person or thing against another in a hostile or competing way and may be roughly distinguished according to the degree to which one of the things or forces takes the initiative against the other. resist and withstand suggest generally that the initiative lies wholly with the person or force competed against. resist implies an overt recognition of a hostile or threatening force and a positive effort to counteract it, repel it, or ward it off
the criminal resisted captivity
resist the pressure of political orthodoxy
resist the enemy attacks
withstand suggests a successful resistance so that if nothing is gained, at least nothing is lost
most plants cannot withstand frost
withstand the impact of humiliation and disease
withstand the attacks by air
contest and oppose suggest a more positive action against a threatening or objectionable force. contest suggests the raising of the issue, the bringing into open question of the matter over which there is conflict
the board's power to inspect private welfare agencies was later contested and restricted — American Guide Series: New York
it is impossible to contest your principle — George Meredith
attempt to reconcile contesting parties
oppose , perhaps the most general of the terms, can indicate almost any degree of attitude from mild objection to positive belligerence, and can suggest any action from a mere contrastive setting of one thing against another to open violence against an opposing force, although in all instances positive action is implied
the chronic objector, who opposes every popular measure — S.M.Crothers
he had been much opposed by women, crossed, balked, wronged, misled — Francis Hackett
Whipple was said to be the only man in public life who dared oppose wholesale executions of the Sioux captives — American Guide Series: Minnesota
human art, as opposed to mere tools and mechanical contrivances — Edward Clodd
fight and combat suggest strong action. fight puts the initiative clearly in the hands of the subject of the verb and stresses the forthrightness or belligerence of the action
fight the enemy on all fronts
fight the forces of evil
fight extradition
combat stresses more the force or impact, though it says nothing about the success, of counteraction
combat pollution in streams
combat aggression
combat business depressions
conflict and antagonize do not fit easily into the scale. conflict , never used transitively, indicates merely the fact of competition, friction, or hostility between two forces
the two men conflict on all major principles
one nation can conflict with another in territorial claims
two logical principles often conflict
antagonize once carried the idea of placing oneself in opposition or in the position of antagonist but in current general use carries only the idea of arousing antagonism or making antagonistic
to antagonize the other students in the class
Synonym: see in addition compete .
II. ˈkänˌtest noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle French conteste, from contester, v.
1. : earnest struggle for superiority or victory : competition , emulation , strife , argument ; also : an encounter of such nature (as in arms)
what mighty contests rise from trivial things — Alexander Pope
reelected almost without a contest
2. : a competition in which each contestant performs without direct contact with or interference from his competitors — sometimes distinguished from game
an oratorical contest
Synonyms:
conflict , combat , fight , affray , fray : contest is a general term applying originally to arguments but now also to any competition or struggle
boundary controversies or other contests between states (as, for instance, the litigation arising out of Chicago's attempted use of the waters of the Great Lakes) — Felix Frankfurter
an athletic contest
prominent among the great events which the 18th century witnessed was the contest between England and France for the control of the Mississippi valley — G.M.Capers
conflict implies a jarring clash ranging from discordant argument through any sustained active opposition up to warfare
he then returned to Massachusetts with authority to enlist troops, which led to a conflict with the state authorities — C.R.Fish
primitive competition was a conflict as to which should murder the other man and his wife and children; modern competition in the shape of war still takes this form — Bertrand Russell
combat implies an encounter, often an armed one
these progressive leaders in both parties rose only after bitter struggle. They were the product of more than a lively contest. Sometimes the contests were combats — W.A.White
he [Alexander the Great] had mastered, in defiance of fatigue, hardship, and combat … unknown Indian regions — George Grote
fight implies a rigorous strenuous struggle, sustained at high pitch for a time at least, and resolute and determined
the fight at the rampart
the fight for world peace
mental fight means thinking against the current, not with it. That current flows fast and furious — Virginia Woolf
affray , now somewhat literary in suggestion, may indicate a wild, confused, sharp fight
the suppressing of riots and affrays — Edmund Burke
affray. — Fighting together of two or more persons in a public place to the terror of the persons lawfully there — General Laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
fray , also somewhat literary, may apply to any fight or combat marked by quick individual action against a background of noisy confusion
a fray is a fight in a public place to the terror of the people, in which acts of violence occur or dangerous weapons are exhibited or threatened to be used — U.S. Manual for Courts-Martial