• IPA: /kənˈtɛnd/

contend (contends, present participle contending; past and past participle contended)

1. To strive in opposition; to contest; to dispute; to vie; to quarrel; to fight.
   • 1611, King James Version, Deuteronomy ii. 9

     The Lord said unto me, Distress not the Moabites, neither contend with them in battle.

   • 1599, William Shakespeare, “The Life of Henry the Fift”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: Printed by Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358 ↗, [Act I, scene ii]:

2. To struggle or exert oneself to obtain or retain possession of, or to defend.
   • 17th century, John Dryden, Epistle III to the Lady Castlemain

     You sit above, and see vain men below / Contend for what you only can bestow.

3. To strive in debate; to engage in discussion; to dispute; to argue.
   • 1689 (indicated as 1690)​, [John Locke], chapter 2, in An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding. […], London: […] Thomas Basset, […], OCLC 153628242 ↗, book I, page 9 ↗:

     these simple ideas are far from those innate principles which some contend for

   • Many things he fiercely contended about were trivial.

4. To believe (something is reasonable) and argue (for it); to advocate.

   In this paper the author contends that no useful results can be obtained if this method is used.

• s strive in opposition fight, combat, vie, oppose
• s struggle struggle, strive, emulate (rare)
• s strive in debate contest, litigate, dispute, debate
• s believe and argue assert, aver

• contender
• contention
• contentious

• German: streiten, sich auseinandersetzen, ringen mit, sich widersetzen, kämpfen
• Russian: соперничать
• Spanish: contender

• German: verteidigen, festhalten an, ringen um, kämpfen für, kämpfen um
• Russian: боро́ться
• Spanish: contender

• German: sich einsetzen für, argumentieren, streiten für
• Russian: утвержда́ть
• Spanish: sostener