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Warfare; war; hence, contention; opposition. [Obs.]

Apt or disposed to quarrel; given to brawls and contention; easily irritated or provoked to contest; irascible; choleric.

The act of rivaling, or the state of being a rival; a competition. "Keen contention and eager rivalries." Jeffrey.

To be rough; to jar; to be in contention; hence, to put on airs; to swagger. They would ruffle with jurors. Bacon. Gallants who ruffled in silk and embroidery. Sir W. Scott.

The act of snarling; a growl; a surly or peevish expression; an angry contention.

arture, or a somnambulistic leave-taking and waking in her sleep, may remain a subject of contention. Dickens.

om, stay, and moderation of the king. Bacon. With prudent stay he long deferred The rough contention. Philips.

Exertion or contention for superiority; contest of emulation, either by intellectual or physical efforts. Doting about questions and strifes of words. 1 Tim. vi. 4. Thus gods contended -- noble strife -Who most should ease the wants of life. Congreve.

To struggle in opposition; to be in contention or dispute; to contend; to contest; -- followed by against or with before the person or thing opposed; as, strive against temptation; strive for the truth. Chaucer. My Spirit shall not always strive with man. Gen. vi. 3. Why dost thou strive against him Job xxxiii. 13. Now…

etcheth a stroke with the ax to cut down the tree. Deut. xix. 5. A fool's lips enter into contention and his mouth calleth for strokes. Prov. xviii. 6. He entered and won the whole kingdom of Naples without striking a stroke. Bacon.

Contest; contention; strife. An honest might look upon the struggle with indifference. Addison.

A fit of anger or peevishness; a slight altercation or contention. See Tift. Thackeray.

To kindle; to set on fire. [Obs.] See Tind. "To tine the cloven wood." Dryden. Coals of contention and hot vegneance tind. Spenser.

Verbal contention; dispute. Some words there grew 'twixt Somerset and me. Shak.