competition

American  

[kom-pi-tish-uhn] / ˌkɒm pɪˈtɪʃ ən /

noun

competitions plural

1. the act of competing; rivalry for supremacy, a prize, etc..

   The competition between the two teams was bitter.

   Synonyms:

   emulation

2. a contest for some prize, honor, or advantage.

   Both girls entered the competition.

   Synonyms:

   struggle

3. the rivalry offered by a competitor.

   The small merchant gets powerful competition from the chain stores.

4. a competitor or competitors.

   What is your competition offering?

5. Sociology. rivalry between two or more persons or groups for an object desired in common, usually resulting in a victor and a loser but not necessarily involving the destruction of the latter.

6. Ecology. the struggle among organisms, both of the same and of different species, for food, space, and other vital requirements.

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competition British  

/ ˌkɒmpɪˈtɪʃən /

noun

1. the act of competing; rivalry

2. a contest in which a winner is selected from among two or more entrants

3. a series of games, sports events, etc

4. the opposition offered by a competitor or competitors

5. a competitor or competitors offering opposition

6. ecology the struggle between individuals of the same or different species for food, space, light, etc, when these are inadequate to supply the needs of all

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competition Scientific  

/ kŏm′pĭ-tĭsh′ən /

1. The simultaneous demand by two or more organisms for limited environmental resources, such as nutrients, living space, or light.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• supercompetition
  noun
• noncompetition
  adjective
• procompetition
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• competitions
  plural

Etymology

Origin of competition

First recorded in 1595–1605; from Late Latin competītiōn-, stem of competītiō “agreement, rivalry,” from competīt(us) “agreed, met” (past participle of competere “to agree, come together, meet”; see compete ( def. )) + -iō -ion; sense influenced by competitor

Explanation

If you are trying to win or attempting to prove you're the best, you're in a competition. The word also describes your opponent in sports, business, and politics. If you're trying to beat out someone else — whether in the Olympics or a pie-baking contest — it's a competition, and the other contestants are called the competition too. If you describe something as a "friendly competition," you're saying the outcome isn't critical, or there's no money involved. If you do something impressive in order to win, people will say competition brings out the best in you. If you try to injure your opponent, they'll say it brings out the worst.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

competition competitions

The official sponsors of the World Cup pay eye-watering sums to associate brands with the competition, but no doubt end up benefiting financially, with the likes of Adidas and Coca-Cola plastered everywhere.

From BBC ● Jul. 16, 2026

As it turned out, Mexico and the U.S. were already out of World Cup competition, and “Art of the Goal” came across as an eight-minute advertisement for the L.A.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 16, 2026

Netflix’s stock had fallen 21% on the year through Thursday’s close, with Wall Street worried about potentially weaker viewership trends and competition from rival platforms like YouTube and short-form video operators.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 16, 2026

Facing fierce competition, particularly from China, and weak demand in Europe, the group has been undergoing a major restructuring.

From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026

“If you advance through the competition, you’ll be with him each of those times. That means you’ll be our eyes and ears in these rooms, and I can’t emphasize enough how vital that will be.”

From "City Spies" by James Ponti

“As for other speed competitions testing human physical attributes,” he writes testily, “there is no stranger category than the many kinds of disgusting speed-eating contests.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026

They are not only unbeaten in this World Cup, but in their last 34 matches across all competitions.

From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026

A serious knee injury delayed his debut and he only made eight starts in all competitions.

From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2026

After it was inscribed as intangible cultural heritage, the government provided free venues, allocated annual subsidies to support regular competitions, and attracted sponsorship.

From Barron's ● Jun. 28, 2026

Sometimes new recruits were punished for something they didn’t do well enough, or someone in their platoon didn’t do well enough: cleaning their boots, pitching a tent, performing in drill competitions.

From "Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam" by Elizabeth Partridge

Related Words

• championship
• clash
• event
• fight
• game
• match
• meeting
• race
• rivalry
• sport
• struggle
• tournament
• trial