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

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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

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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

But without regulatory protection from competition, profits were harder to come by.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026

"Companies are tapping into social media to help promote their business, but on the flip side, it creates these communities," he said, adding that "healthy competition" online can spur people on.

From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026

Starbucks said it would close 250 locations in North America as the chain battles increased competition.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026

Shares in Swedish carmaker Volvo Cars plunged Friday after it said US tariffs and strong competition from local brands in China pushed it into a third-quarter loss.

From Barron's ● Oct. 23, 2026

Our school has not had a winner of this competition in recent years, but your son, Neel, is the brightest student I have seen in my tenure here.

From "Tiger Boy" by Mitali Perkins

Next up in their math education: problems from the high-school competitions that many AI researchers had once entered themselves.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 24, 2026

He packed in pick-up games, not-so-friendly competitions of golf, rowing and bike riding, and sight-seeing throughout the Slovenian capital where Doncic first fell in love with basketball.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026

Accusations of a lack of passion, desire and intensity have dogged United all season, having won just two of their matches in all competitions.

From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026

Mr. Taupin relocated to the States at that time, became an American citizen in 1990, and spent many of his decades since living on a California ranch and taking part in cutting horse competitions.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026

There was a national coach for the team, but most team members traveled to competitions with their personal coaches as well.

From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad

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Related Words

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

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