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9 dictionary results for: contest
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
con·test       [n. kon-test; v. kuhn-test] Pronunciation Key
–noun
1.a race, conflict, or other competition between rivals, as for a prize.
2.struggle for victory or superiority.
3.strife in argument; dispute; controversy: Their marriage was marred by perpetual contest.
–verb (used with object)
4.to struggle or fight for, as in battle.
5.to argue against; dispute: to contest a controversial question; to contest a will.
6.to call in question: They contested his right to speak.
7.to contend for in rivalry.
–verb (used without object)
8.to dispute; contend; compete.

[Origin: 1595–1605; (v.) < L contestāri to call to witness (in a lawsuit), equiv. to con- con- + testārī to testify, deriv. of testis witness; (n.) deriv. of the v., or < F conteste]

con·test·a·ble, adjective
con·test·a·ble·ness, noun
con·test·a·bly, adverb
con·test·er, noun
con·test·ing·ly, adverb

1. contention, rivalry, match, tournament, tourney, game. 2. battle, encounter. See fight. 3. debate, polemic, altercation. 4. See compete. 5. controvert, oppose. 6. challenge. 7. strive, compete, vie.
American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
con·test       (kŏn'těst')  Pronunciation Key 
n.  
  1. A struggle for superiority or victory between rivals.
  2. A competition, especially one in which entrants perform separately and are rated by judges. See Synonyms at conflict.

v.   (kən-těst', kŏn'těst') con·test·ed, con·test·ing, con·tests

v.   tr.
  1. To compete or strive for.
  2. To call into question and take an active stand against; dispute or challenge: contest a will. See Synonyms at oppose.

v.   intr.
To struggle or compete; contend: contested with other bidders for the antique.


[Probably from French conteste, from contester, to dispute, from Old French, to call to witness, from Latin contestārī : com-, com- + testis, witness; see trei- in Indo-European roots.]

con·test'a·ble adj., con'tes·ta'tion (kŏn'tě-stā'shən) n., con·test'er n.
Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
contest  (v.)
1603, from Fr. contester "dispute, oppose," from M.Fr., from L. contestari (litem) "to call to witness, bring action," from com- "together" + testari "to bear witness," from testis "a witness," (see testament). Calling witnesses as the first step in a legal combat. The noun is 1643, from the verb. Contestant "one who contests" is from 1861, popularized in U.S. Civil War.

WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This
contest

noun
1. an occasion on which a winner is selected from among two or more contestants 
2. a struggle between rivals 

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

Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law - Cite This Source - Share This
Main Entry: 1con·test
Pronunciation: k&n-'test
Function: transitive verb
: to dispute or challenge through legal procedures <contest a will>

Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law - Cite This Source - Share This
Main Entry: 2con·test
Pronunciation: 'kän-"test
Function: noun
: a challenge brought through formal or legal procedures contests between states —Felix Frankfurter>; specifically : WILL CONTEST —see also NO CONTEST CLAUSE

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

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. --Locke.

Few philosophical aphorisms have been more frequenty repeated, few more contested than this. --J. D. Morell.

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.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

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 it, when there are hopes of victory. --Bp. Burnet.

Of man, who dares in pomp with Jove contest? --Pope.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Contest

Con"test\, n. 1. Earnest dispute; strife in argument; controversy; debate; altercation.

Leave all noisy contests, all immodest clamors and brawling language. --I. Watts.

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. --Hallam.

It was fully expected that the contest there would be long and fierce. --Macaulay.

Syn: Conflict; combat; battle; encounter; shock; struggle; dispute; altercation; debate; controvesy; difference; disagreement; strife.

Usage: 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.

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