GNU Collaborative International Dictionary of English

last match results

Found 3 definitions

1.       
   Contest , 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.]
   To make a subject of dispute, contention, litigation, or emulation; to contend for; to call in question; to controvert; to oppose; to dispute.
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   The people . . . contested not what was done.
   Locke.
   
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   Few philosophical aphorisms have been more frequenty repeated, few more contested than this.
   J. D. Morell.
   
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   To strive earnestly to hold or maintain; to struggle to defend; as, the troops contested every inch of ground.
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   (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.
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   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.
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2.       
   Contest, v. i. To engage in contention, or emulation; to contend; to strive; to vie; to emulate; -- followed usually by with.
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   The difficulty of an argument adds to the pleasure of contesting with it, when there are hopes of victory.
   Bp. Burnet.
   
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   Of man, who dares in pomp with Jove contest?
   Pope.
   
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3.       
   Contest , n.
   Earnest dispute; strife in argument; controversy; debate; altercation.
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   Leave all noisy contests, all immodest clamors and brawling language.
   I. Watts.
   
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   Earnest struggle for superiority, victory, defense, etc.; competition; emulation; strife in arms; conflict; combat; encounter.
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   The late battle had, in effect, been a contest between one usurper and another.
   Hallam.
   
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   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.  -- 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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