contend
verb uk/kənˈtend/ us/kənˈtend/
(COMPETE)
[ I ]竞争；争夺
to compete in order to win something
There are three world-class tennis players contending for this title. 有3位世界顶级网球选手争夺这项冠军。
He's contending against someone with twice his experience. 他在和经验比他丰富一倍的人竞争。
(CLAIM)
[ T + (that) ] formal声称;断言;主张
to say that something is true or is a fact
The lawyer contended (that) her client had never been near the scene of the crime. 该律师声称她的委托人从未走近过犯罪现场。
Phrasal verb
contend with something 必须处理，必须应对（困境或不愉快的事）
to have to deal with a difficult or unpleasant situation
At the age of nine, he had the death of both parents to contend with. 9岁时他就不得不面对父母双亡这一境况。
We don't need a computer failure to contend with as well as all our other problems. 我们已有不少其他问题要解决，不想再为计算机故障问题伤脑筋。