compete
Americanverb (used without object)
-
competes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
competed,
past participle, past
-
competing
present participle
idioms
verb
Synonym Usage
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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
competesimple
-
competessimple
-
have competedperfect
-
has competedperfect
-
am competingprogressive
-
are competingprogressive
-
is competingprogressive
-
have been competingperfect progressive
-
has been competingperfect progressive
Past
-
competedsimple
-
had competedperfect
-
was competingprogressive
-
were competingprogressive
-
had been competingperfect progressive
Future
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”; see com-. The Late Latin and English senses were influenced by competitor
Explanation
In sports you compete against the opposing team. At work you compete for a promotion. With siblings, you compete for everything. Compete means to vie for a goal. The urge to compete is universal and human, from kids who say "Race ya!," to great athletes who manage to achieve the impossible when faced with a worthy opponent. Some people are more inclined to compete than others. They are viewed as competitive and may be accused of turning everything into a competition.
Vocabulary lists containing compete
"Play Ball!"
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Part 1 Vocabulary (Unit 1)
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Part 1 Vocabulary (Unit 1)
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
They are expanding need-based aid widely enough to compete on price against historically cheaper alternatives, following the lead of top universities like Harvard and Princeton.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026
He watched snowboarder Chloe Kim compete at the Mammoth Mountain World Cup shortly before her gold-medal performance at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 1, 2026
Toronto-based Razan Khan said people in his neighborhood compete as if their decorations are a movie-level set.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
Hamilton said he has proven that he can still compete at the highest level.
From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026
He had come out of retirement to compete with Marcial, knowing it was a competition gained in advance.
From "The Sun Also Rises" by Ernest Hemingway
“Green-methane competes with hydrogen or electrification,” he says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 25, 2026
Like "being shot out of a cannon" is the closest comparison that driver Susanne Callin can come up with for the extreme motorsport she competes in.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
The company competes in a “very fragmented space,” is more than double the size of its next biggest competitor and has been using AI to optimize pricing.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026
The youngster competes in Puyo Puyo Champions, a puzzle game similar to Tetris which was developed in Japan.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026
Justice encouraged Will to join the Boy Scouts, and when he was invited to join his school’s Academic Team, which competes in quiz bowls, she insisted that he try it.
From "Class Matters" by The New York Times
In 2016, 40 women ran for Senate seats; of those, 15 won their primaries and competed on national Election Day.
From Slate ● Nov. 2, 2026
During the height of the frenzy over space tourism, Branson and Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos, the founder of the Blue Origin rocket company, competed to see who could reach space first.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026
He also suggested that the platform risked a drop in relevance as its larger rivals competed more aggressively.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 26, 2026
Growing up poor in rural Indiana, Gerstner competed in a high-school program of problem-solving competitions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 24, 2026
Between songs Mr. Switzer competed with the DJ for attention, calling out noise level readings and the probability of sustaining permanent hearing loss from the evening’s festivities.
From "Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet" by Joanne Proulx
Netflix can make more good shows, but each show is now competing with other streamers, free services, and an endless supply of short videos on TikTok and YouTube.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026
One sign that men are no longer widely viewed as the default face of political power is that women are competing for that power in larger numbers, and with less pushback or even notice.
From Slate ● Nov. 2, 2026
Los Angeles Times owner Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, a billionaire, owns 4% of the Lakers and recently became a co-owner of a new women’s professional volleyball team in Los Angeles expected to start competing next year.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2026
Tourists now pack some cemeteries, competing with families for space.
From Barron's ● Oct. 31, 2026
In the past few years physicists realized that the many competing varieties of string theory are actually, in a sense, the same thing.
From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
