contest

• POS: Noun, Verb (usu participle), Verb (transitive)
• HYPHEN: con=test

CIDE DICTIONARY

contest, v. t. [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.].

•  To make a subject of dispute, contention, litigation, or emulation; to contend for; to call in question; to controvert; to oppose; to dispute.  [1913 Webster]

  "The people . . . contested not what was done."  [1913 Webster]

  "Few philosophical aphorisms have been more frequenty repeated, few more contested than this."  [1913 Webster]
•  To strive earnestly to hold or maintain; to struggle to defend; as, the troops contested every inch of ground.  [1913 Webster]
•  To make a subject of litigation; to defend, as a suit; to dispute or resist; as a claim, by course of law; to controvert.  [1913 Webster]

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, v. i. 

 To engage in contention, or emulation; to contend; to strive; to vie; to emulate; -- followed usually by with.  [1913 Webster]
"The difficulty of an argument adds to the pleasure of contesting with it, when there are hopes of victory."  [1913 Webster]
"Of man, who dares in pomp with Jove contest?"  [1913 Webster]

contest, n. 

•  Earnest dispute; strife in argument; controversy; debate; altercation.  [1913 Webster]

  "Leave all noisy contests, all immodest clamors and brawling language."  [1913 Webster]
•  Earnest struggle for superiority, victory, defense, etc.; competition; emulation; strife in arms; conflict; combat; encounter.  [1913 Webster]

  "The late battle had, in effect, been a contest between one usurper and another."  [1913 Webster]

  "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.

OXFORD DICTIONARY

contest, n. & v.
--n.
1 a process of contending; a competition.
2 a dispute; a controversy.
--v.tr.
1 challenge or dispute (a decision etc.).
2 debate (a point, statement, etc.).
3 contend or compete for (a prize, parliamentary seat, etc.); compete in (an election).

Derivative

contestable adj. contester n.

Etymology

L contestari (as COM-, testis witness)

THESAURUS

contest

Kilkenny cats, Olympic games, Olympics, abjure, action, altercation, antagonize, argue, argufy, argument, assert the contrary, awake a doubt, bandy words, battle, be contrary to, be diffident, be doubtful, be dubious, be skeptical, be uncertain, beat against, beat up against, belie, bicker, bicker over, bickering, bout, box, brawl, breast the wave, broil, brush, buck, buffet, buffet the waves, call in question, call into question, cat-and-dog life, cavil, challenge, championship, choplogic, clash, close, close with, collide, combat, come to blows, compete with, competition, concours, conflict, confute, contend, contend about, contend against, contention, contentiousness, contestation, contradict, contravene, controversy, controvert, counter, cross, cross swords, cut and thrust, debate, decathlon, deny, derby, disaffirm, disallow, disavow, discept, disclaim, disown, disprove, disputation, dispute, distrust, double-header, doubles, doubt, duel, emulation, encounter, engagement, enmity, event, exchange blows, fence, feud, fight, fight a duel, fight against, fight over, fighting, forswear, foursome, gainsay, game, games, games of chance, give and take, give satisfaction, go, grapple, grapple with, greet with skepticism, gymkhana, half believe, harbor suspicions, hassle, have it out, have reservations, hostility, impugn, join battle with, join issue, join issue upon, jostle, joust, labor against, litigation, lock horns, logomachize, logomachy, match, matching, meet, meeting, militate against, misgive, mistrust, mix it up, moot, negate, not accept, not admit, nullify, object to, offer resistance, oppose, oppugn, paper war, pentathlon, pettifog, play, play-off, plead, polemic, polemicize, polemize, proving, quarrel, quarrel over, quarreling, quarrelsomeness, query, question, quibble, race, raise a question, rally, rassle, rebut, recant, refuse to admit, refute, reject, reluct, reluctate, rencontre, renounce, repudiate, retract, revoke, riot, rival, rivalry, run a tilt, runoff, scramble, scrapping, scruple, scuffle, singles, skirmish, smell a rat, spar, sport, squabble over, squabbling, stem the tide, strife, strive, strive against, striving, struggle, struggle against, suspect, take back, take issue with, take on, take sides, test, testing, thrash out, threesome, throw doubt upon, thrust and parry, tilt, tournament, tourney, traverse, treat with reserve, trial, try conclusions, trying, tug-of-war, tussle, twosome, vie with, wage war, war, war of words, warfare, words, wrangle, wrangle over, wrangling, wrestle

ROGET THESAURUS

contest

Contention

N contention, strife, contest, contestation, struggle, belligerency, opposition, controversy, polemics, debate, war of words, logomachy, litigation, paper war, high words, sparring, competition, rivalry, corrivalry, corrivalship, agonism, concours, match, race, horse racing, heat, steeple chase, handicap, regatta, field day, sham fight, Derby day, turf, sporting, bullfight, tauromachy, gymkhana, boat race, torpids, wrestling, greco-roman wrestling, pugilism, boxing, fisticuffs, the manly art of self-defense, spar, mill, set-to, round, bout, event, prize fighting, quarterstaff, single stick, gladiatorship, gymnastics, jiujitsu, jujutsu, kooshti, sumo, athletics, athletic sports, games of skill, shindy, fracas, clash of arms, tussle, scuffle, broil, fray, affray, affrayment, velitation, colluctation, luctation, brabble, brigue, scramble, melee, scrimmage, stramash, bushfighting, free fight, stand up fight, hand to hand, running fight, conflict, skirmish, rencounter, encounter, rencontre, collision, affair, brush, fight, battle, battle royal, combat, action, engagement, joust, tournament, tilt, tilting, tournay, list, pitched battle, death struggle, struggle for life or death, life or death struggle, Armageddon, hard knocks, sharp contest, tug of war, naval engagement, naumachia, sea fight, duel, duello, single combat, monomachy, satisfaction, passage d'armes, passage of arms, affair of honor, triangular duel, hostile meeting, digladiation, deeds of arms, feats of arms, appeal to arms, pugnacity, combativeness, bone of contention, contending, together by the ears, at loggerheads, at war, at issue, competitive, rival, belligerent, contentious, combative, bellicose, unpeaceful, warlike, quarrelsome, pugnacious, pugilistic, gladiatorial, palestric, palestrical, a verbis ad verbera, a word and a blow, a very pretty quarrel as it stands, commune periculum concordiam parit, lis litem generat.

VB contend, contest, strive, struggle, scramble, wrestle, spar, square, exchange blows, exchange fisticuffs, fib, justle, tussle, tilt, box, stave, fence, skirmish, pickeer, fight, wrangle, contend with, grapple with, engage with, close with, buckle with, bandy with, try conclusions with, have a brush, with, tilt with, encounter, fall foul of, pitch into, clapperclaw, run a tilt at, oppose, reluct, join issue, come to blows, go to loggerheads, set to, come to the scratch, exchange shots, measure swords, meet hand to hand, take up the cudgels, take up the glove, take up the gauntlet, enter the lists, couch one's lance, give satisfaction, appeal to arms, lay about one, break the peace, compete with, cope with, vie with, race with, outvie, emulate, rival, run a race, contend for, stipulate for, stickle for, insist upon, make a point of.