contending to

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "contending to" is not correct in standard written English.
It may be a confusion with "contending with" or "contending for," which are the correct forms used in different contexts. Example: "The teams are contending for the championship title this season."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

News & Media

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

21 human-written examples

"He is contending to become an emperor in a new era".

The New York Times

We, and the men now contending to play providence, still live with the consequences.

The New York Times - Books

The crowded field contending to succeed Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg in City Hall got an unexpected jolt last week from two polls with seemingly divergent findings.

The New York Times

Mr. Christie had by then moved on to a black church in one of the state's poorest cities, contending to an approving crowd that his proposals would help its children escape dismal schools and bad teachers.

The New York Times

He added, "That's the one area of the game I feel if I can get it back to the level I know it can be at, I'll be contending for tournament titles again and I'll be back at the level where I'm contending to win golf tournaments week in and week out".

The New York Times - Sports

What happened in Iowa yesterday, and in several other states that have addressed the issue this week, is a direct consequence of a fractious convention two weeks ago that left the party split, with each of two candidates contending to be the rightful heir to state ballot designations in November and to $12.6 million in federal campaign funds.

The New York Times

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

37 human-written examples

In SYN-MAC, nodes would contend to access channel 3.

EURASIP Journal on Advances in Signal Processing

Unscheduled node will contend to reserve a conflict-free slot.

EURASIP Journal on Wireless Communications and Networking

The CN does not need to contend to access the wireless media.

EURASIP Journal on Wireless Communications and Networking

Step 3. Once the ZigBee nodes receive this message, they contend to grab the reserved channel.

EURASIP Journal on Wireless Communications and Networking

The data reliability degrades with higher data collision if more BMSs contend to access a slot.

Human-centric Computing and Information Sciences

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Always use "contending for" or "competing for" when you want to express that someone is competing to win something. For example: "Several candidates are "contending for" the presidential nomination."

Common error

Avoid using "to" after "contending" when you mean to compete for something. The correct prepositions are "for" or "with", depending on the intended meaning. Using "contending to" is grammatically incorrect and can confuse your readers.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "contending to" is an incorrect combination. Grammatically, "contending" requires a different preposition depending on the intended meaning. It typically functions as a verb indicating competition, but the addition of "to" creates a non-idiomatic expression. Ludwig AI highlights this issue.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

News & Media

41%

Science

35%

Formal & Business

0%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "contending to" is generally considered grammatically incorrect. As Ludwig AI points out, the correct prepositions to use with "contend" are "for" (when competing for something) or "with" (when dealing with a challenge). To avoid miscommunication, use alternatives such as "competing for", "vying for", or "striving for" depending on the intended meaning. Paying attention to preposition choices is crucial for clear and effective communication.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

contending for

Uses the correct preposition "for" to indicate what is being competed for.

competing for

Replaces "contending" with the more common synonym "competing" while retaining the correct preposition "for".

vying for

Uses "vying", a synonym of "contending", with the preposition "for" to indicate competition.

striving for

Emphasizes effort and aspiration, using "striving" with the preposition "for".

battling for

Implies a more intense competition, using "battling" with the preposition "for".

fighting for

Similar to "battling for", emphasizing the struggle in the competition, using "fighting" with the preposition "for".

challenging for

Suggests a confrontational aspect of the competition, using "challenging" with the preposition "for".

in contention for

Uses a prepositional phrase to indicate being in a competitive position.

competing to be

Uses "competing" with "to be" indicating a specific state or position being sought.

contending with

Shifts the meaning to dealing with a challenge or opponent, using "contending" with the preposition "with".

FAQs

What is the correct way to use "contend" when referring to competition?

When referring to competition, the correct phrases are "contend for" or "contend with", depending on the context. "Contend for" implies competing for something, while "contend with" means dealing with a challenge or opponent.

What can I use instead of the incorrect phrase "contending to"?

Instead of "contending to", use phrases like "competing for", "vying for", or "striving for" to accurately convey the meaning of competition.

Is "contending to" grammatically correct?

No, "contending to" is generally considered grammatically incorrect in standard English. The correct usage depends on the context, but typically involves "contending for" or "contending with".

What's the difference between "contending for" and "contending with"?

"Contending for" implies a competition or striving to obtain something, as in "The athletes are "contending for" the gold medal." "Contending with", on the other hand, means struggling or dealing with a challenge, as in "The city is "contending with" a major water shortage."