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.

Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)
 

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.

Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)
 

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.

Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)