contest

one-sided, unequal

The chess match turned into an unequal contest when one player made a critical mistake early on.

open

The election remained wide open until the final votes were counted last week.

fair

The sports competition was fair, so both teams accepted the final result without argument.

head-to-head

The two candidates faced a head-to-head contest in the final round of the debate competition.

have, hold, run

The school will hold a math contest next month for all students.

compete in, enter, take part in

Over 500 runners competed in the marathon contest last Sunday morning.

during a/the ~

The athlete injured her knee during the swimming contest and had to withdraw.

in a/the ~

She trained for months before competing in the national swimming contest.

out of a/the ~

The injured player had to sit out of the competition due to a serious ankle injury.

~ against

Our school basketball team will compete in a contest against the neighboring high school next Friday.

~ between

There was an exciting contest between the local schools at the science fair last month.

~ for

Several candidates are competing in the contest for mayor of our city next month.

~ over

Two companies entered into a bitter contest over who owned the original design.

~ with

Our school soccer team had an exciting contest with the rival high school last weekend.

bitterly, fiercely, hotly, keenly

The two teams fought fiercely for control of the ball throughout the match.

fiercely, hotly, strongly, vigorously

The two teams fiercely contested every point during the championship match.

successfully, unsuccessfully

The team successfully contested the referee's decision to award the penalty kick.