compete

American

[kuhm-peet] / kəmˈpit /

verb (used without object)

competed, competing

to strive to outdo another for acknowledgment, a prize, supremacy, profit, etc.; engage in a contest; vie: to compete in business.

to compete in a race;
to compete in business.

Synonyms:

struggle

idioms

cannot/can't compete with, to not be, by a great degree, as good or capable as (someone or something else).

These roses are lovely, but they can’t compete with the ones we grew back home in Ecuador.

compete British

/ kəmˈpiːt /

verb

to contend (against) for profit, an award, athletic supremacy, etc; engage in a contest (with)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Related Words

Compete, contend, contest mean to strive to outdo or excel. Compete implies having a sense of rivalry and of striving to do one's best as well as to outdo another: to compete for a prize. Contend suggests opposition or disputing as well as rivalry: to contend with an opponent, against obstacles. Contest suggests struggling to gain or hold something, as well as contending or disputing: to contest a position or ground ( in battle ); to contest a decision.

Other Word Forms

competer noun
competingly adverb
noncompeting adjective
outcompete verb (used with object)

Etymology

Origin of compete

First recorded in 1610–20; from Latin competere “to meet, coincide, be fitting, suffice” ( Late Latin: “to seek, ask for”), equivalent to com- “with, together” + petere “to seek”; com-. The Late Latin and English senses were influenced by competitor

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

UCLA’s name, image and likeness endeavors are transitioning to new leadership and Chesney must play a huge role in landing the sort of money the Bruins will need to compete in the Big Ten.

From Los Angeles Times

While Google competes with Musk’s companies, Nvidia has been a steady partner to Tesla.

From MarketWatch

And the tool relies heavily on the underlying artificial-intelligence models of companies such as OpenAI and Anthropic, which are actively competing for the same software engineering users who have made Cursor a runaway hit.

From The Wall Street Journal

We believe there are competing bidders for the club that are above the '25p in the pound' threshold that will prevent the club from facing any penalties once they exit administration.

From BBC

Mr Male competed in this year's world championship and is also a commentator for the annual event.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023