To believe (something is reasonable) and argue (for it); to advocate.
To be in opposition; to contest; to dispute; to vie; to quarrel; to fight.
To be in debate; to engage in discussion; to dispute; to argue.
To struggle or exert oneself to obtain or retain possession of, or to defend.
contend with: To try to cope with a difficulty or problem.
To declare; to assert, affirm.
To administer the vows of a religious order to (someone); to admit to a religious order.
To declare one's adherence to (a religion, deity, principle etc.).
To work as a professor of; to teach.
To declare oneself (to be something).
To make a claim (to be something); to lay claim to (a given quality, feeling etc.), often with connotations of insincerity.