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"contest" is also used as a crossword clue. If that's what you saw, the answer is often game (4 letters).
Definitions
to make the subject of dispute, contention, or litigation
Word origin
From French contester, from Old French, from Latin contestor (“to call to witness”).
Used in a sentence
“no contest”
“The child entered the spelling contest.”
“I will contest for the open seat on the board.”
Source: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0
Used as a crossword answer1 curated clues
01“Competition”7 letters
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