contest
    n 1: an occasion on which a winner is selected from among two or
         more contestants [syn: contest, competition]
    2: a struggle between rivals
    v 1: to make the subject of dispute, contention, or litigation;
         "They contested the outcome of the race" [syn: contest,
         contend, repugn]

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.
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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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   2. To strive earnestly to hold or maintain; to struggle to
      defend; as, the troops contested every inch of ground.
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   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.
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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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Contest \Con*test"\, 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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Contest \Con"test\, n.
   1. 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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   2. 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.

   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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