From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishcontend with something phrasal verbDEAL WITHto have to deal with something difficult or unpleasant SYN cope with The rescue team also had bad weather conditions to contend with. → contend→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
had ... to contend with• The Maya were an agricultural people who had to contend with a capricious climate.• Apart from the pouring rain, we had to contend with mist - luckily we were on a clear path.• Toni, recently voted the Most Fanciable Object of Desire, had to contend with numerous assaults on to the stage.• And like almost everyone else in business in Britain today, farmers have had to contend with persistently high interest rates.• The same Southern private wrote graphically of another problem he and his comrades had to contend with, that of body lice.• Firefighters had to contend with triple-digit temperatures in many regions.• Sal was a rare visitor these days and Fon had enough to contend with up on Honey's Farm.• Apart from having to fight to save her home, she has had to contend with vitriolic press coverage. 