Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

contest

1 noun
     
con‧test1 [countable]
1 a competition or a situation in which two or more people or groups are competing with each otherCOLLOCATIONS COLLOCATIONS
hold a contest enter a contest (=start taking part in one) win/lose a contest beauty contest (=a competition to find the most beautiful person) talent contest (=a competition to find the best performer) popularity contest (=a situation in which people decide which person they like the most) unequal contest British English (=when one person has a much greater chance of winning) fair contest (=when everyone has the same chance of winning) close contest (=when someone wins by only a very small amount) leadership contest (=when two politicians compete to become the leader of their party)
contest for
the bitter contest for the Republican presidential nomination
Stone decided to hold a contest to see who could write the best song.
I only entered the contest for fun.
It is clear that the election will be a close contest.
contest between/against
the 1960 contest between Kennedy and Nixon
the 1975 Liberal leadership contest
2

no contest

informal
a) spoken used to say that someone or something is the best of its kind:
I think you're the best rider here, no contest.
b) if a victory is no contest, it is very easy to achieve
3

plead no contest

law to state that you will not offer a defence in a court of law for something wrong you have done
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

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