Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1300-1400
Language: Old French
Origin: Latin contentio, from contendere; CONTEND

contention

 noun
     
con‧ten‧tion
1 [countable] formal a strong opinion that someone expresses
somebody's contention that
Her main contention is that doctors should do more to encourage healthy eating.
2 [uncountable] formal argument and disagreement between people
source/area/point of contention
The issue of hunting is a source of contention.

➔ bone of contention

at bone1 (5)
3

in contention

having a chance of winning something:
Owen's goal kept England in contention.
4

out of contention

no longer having a chance of winning something:
Injury has put him out of contention for the title.
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

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