n. 1. Earnest dispute; strife in argument; controversy; debate; altercation. [ 1913 Webster ]

Leave all noisy contests, all immodest clamors and brawling language. I. Watts. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. 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. Hallam. [ 1913 Webster ]

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. [ 1913 Webster ]

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. [ 1913 Webster ]

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

Few philosophical aphorisms have been more frequenty repeated, few more contested than this. J. D. Morell. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To strive earnestly to hold or maintain; to struggle to defend; as, the troops contested every inch of ground. [ 1913 Webster ]

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. [ 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. [ 1913 Webster ]

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. Bp. Burnet. [ 1913 Webster ]

Of man, who dares in pomp with Jove contest? Pope. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Cf. F. contestable. ] Capable of being contested; debatable. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. F. contestant. ] One who contests; an opponent; a litigant; a disputant; one who claims that which has been awarded to another. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. contestatio testimony: cf. F. contestation a contesting. ] 1. The act of contesting; emulation; rivalry; strife; dispute. “Loverlike contestation.” Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

After years spent in domestic, unsociable contestations, she found means to withdraw. Clarendon. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Proof by witness; attestation; testimony. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

A solemn contestation ratified on the part of God. Barrow. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In a contending manner. [ 1913 Webster ]