compete

[ kuhm-peet ]

See synonyms for: compete competed competing on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object),com·pet·ed, com·pet·ing.

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

Idioms about compete

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.

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

synonym study For compete

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 words for compete

struggle

See synonyms for compete on Thesaurus.com

Other words from compete

com·pet·er, noun
com·pet·ing·ly, adverb
non·com·pet·ing, adjective
out·com·pete, verb (used with object), out·com·pet·ed, out·com·pet·ing.

Words Nearby compete

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use compete in a sentence

It’s worth noting, of course, that low end of the mug category is ready available at your local 99 cent store, and that’s not likely a space Ember is raring to compete in.
Ember names former Dyson head as consumer CEO, as the startup looks beyond the smart mug | Brian Heater | February 12, 2021 | TechCrunch
In this regard, it’s hard for a mere nova to compete with a supernova explosion, which, though rare, releases far more newly produced elements than a nova does.
The number of Milky Way nova explosions per year has been pinned down | Ken Croswell | February 12, 2021 | Science News
It competes with Robinhood, M1 Finance and other American fintech companies that offer consumers a way to invest in equities with low or zero fees.
Robinhood’s pain is Public’s gain as VCs rush to give it more money | Mary Ann Azevedo | February 11, 2021 | TechCrunch
The Hurricane already hosted an open tryout in January where 150 players competed for five open slots on the roster.
The OWL’s London Spitfire are hoping to go big by going home | Teddy Amenabar | February 11, 2021 | Washington Post
The Washington Post, inspired by its owner Jeff Bezos, has built a suite of advertising tools called Zeus Technology to help publishers and advertisers on the open web compete for ad dollars with big tech firms like Google and Facebook.
Publishers see new life in the old open web | Scott Rosenberg | February 9, 2021 | Axios

Good, caring teachers recognized his talent and challenged him to work hard to compete at the highest levels.
Your Local School Doesn’t Have to Suck | Michael S. Roth | December 17, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
As described by its inventor, there is an Honest team and a Mafia team that compete against each other.
Where Chechens Go to Escape Their Surreal Past—and Risky Present | Anna Nemtsova | December 9, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
This puts them at odds with the countless polytheistic religions, where many gods compete for prominence.
Does Pope Francis Believe Christians and Muslims Worship the Same God? | Jay Parini | December 7, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
A notably large Irish contingent took part in the infamous draft riots because they did not want to compete for jobs with blacks.
This Week's Riots Are Part of America's Long History of Racial Rage | Sharon Adarlo | November 29, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
It also forced banks to consider designing their own Internet money market funds to compete with Yu'E Bao.
Alibaba’s Dark Side: Censoring Customers | Brendon Hong | November 18, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
He designed it entirely himself; he had not to compete for the building of it, but had carte blanche in regard to every detail.
The Recent Revolution in Organ Building | George Laing Miller
It has no established reputation in this country, and on account of the high duties can not compete with our domestic tobaccos.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce | E. R. Billings.
The hero of the adventure does not compete with any number of knights, but is each day confronted with a chosen champion.
The Three Days' Tournament | Jessie L. Weston
All the women who compete for these - 77 - prizes will be assembled on the grand staircase before the orchestra.
The Real Latin Quarter | F. Berkeley Smith
Only three remained to compete now for the prize, the others having given up.
The Underworld | James C. Welsh

British Dictionary definitions for compete

compete

/ (kəmˈpiːt) /

verb

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

Origin of compete

C17: from Late Latin competere to strive together, from Latin: to meet, come together, agree, from com- together + petere to seek

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

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