contention
noun
con·ten·tion
| \ kÉn-Ëten(t)-shÉn
\
\
Definition of contention
1
: a point advanced or maintained in a debate or argument
It is his contention that allowing a casino to be built would not be in the best interests of the city.
2
: an act or instance of contending
He has taken himself out of contention for the directorship.
3
: rivalry, competition
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Examples of contention in a Sentence
Tiger Woods splashed his way into contention in the New Zealand Open ⊠shooting a four under par to close within six strokes of the lead.
— New York Times, 13 Jan. 2002
The issues behind the protest are the usual bones of collective-bargaining contention: pay increases, vacation time, union membership.
— Louis Menand, New Yorker, 17 & 24 June 2002
Science, and academic scholarship in general, the contention these days goes, is too subjective. Some even allege it's entirely subjective, as is, they say, history.
— Carl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World, 1996
All quotes from QDB.
That has been a source of contention for years.
He is in contention for the Olympic medal.
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Recent Examples on the Web
The Marlins definitely need reinforcements, but with the year-to-year volatility among relievers, itâs probably not the best long-term strategy to overpay on a closer â especially when the team is at least another year or two away from contention. — Wells Dusenbury, sun-sentinel.com, "Marlins mailbag: Could Sergio Romo return to Miami? Plus, September call-ups and free-agency plans," 22 Aug. 2019 With the Orioles years away from contention, adding to their developing farm system is a bigger focus for Elias. — Nathan Ruiz, baltimoresun.com, "Orioles GM Mike Elias on holding on to Trey Mancini, others: âWe werenât really pressured to move anyoneâ," 2 Aug. 2019 That starts over these next two weeks, when Colorado and its four-man rotation can either fade from playoff contention for good or start to claw its way back in it. — Kyle Newman, The Denver Post, "Rockiesâ starting pitchers know the onus for an improbable turnaround is on them: âThe pressure of the game is definitely on all of us right now.â," 28 July 2019 This season the former North Alabama standout has been pitching far from World Series contention, working as the closer for the Miami Marlins, who are in last place in the NL East, 20.5 games behind the division-leading Atlanta Braves. — Mark Inabinett | [email protected], al, "Trade puts reliever Sergio Romo back in pennant race," 27 July 2019 Since Holmes shot a ghastly 87 on Sunday at Royal Portrush, tumbling from contention into a tie for 67th place, Koepkaâs criticism could have been construed as piling on. — Tim Sullivan, The Courier-Journal, "J.B. Holmes' slow pace of play can be solved if golf enforces its own rules," 22 July 2019 Riding a four-game losing streak and four games under .500 for the first time this season, the Padres appear to be running away from contention. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Padresâ streak reaches four with loss to Marlins," 16 July 2019 But, boy, do their demolitions remind us of how far the Wings and Pistons are from title contention. — Shawn Windsor, Detroit Free Press, "As The Joe and Palace fall, I'm reminded of the greatness that stood inside," 14 July 2019 The turning point came late during the first half of District 26-6A play when the Rockets lost consecutive games to New Braunfels, Smithson Valley and New Braunfels Canyon and were on the verge of slipping from playoff contention. — Terrence Thomas, ExpressNews.com, "NB Canyonâs Pritchett leads E-N All-Area softball team," 15 June 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'contention.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for contention
contention
noun
English Language Learners Definition of contention
: something (such as a belief, opinion, or idea) that is argued or stated
: anger and disagreement
: a situation in which you have a chance to win something that you are trying to win
See the full definition for contention in the English Language Learners Dictionary
contention
noun
con·ten·tion
| \ kÉn-Ëten-chÉn
\
\
Kids Definition of contention
1
: something that is argued
It's my contention that watching television is a waste of time.
2
: anger and disagreement
3
: a state or situation of having a chance to win
She's in contention for the gold medal.
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