compete

American  

[kuhm-peet] / kəmˈpit /

verb (used without object)

competes, present (3rd person singular) competed, past participle, past competing present participle

1. 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

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idioms

1. 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

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

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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

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

Inflected Forms

Participles

• competing
  present
• competed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• compete
  simple
• competes
  simple
• have competed
  perfect
• has competed
  perfect
• am competing
  progressive
• are competing
  progressive
• is competing
  progressive
• have been competing
  perfect progressive
• has been competing
  perfect progressive

Past

• competed
  simple
• had competed
  perfect
• was competing
  progressive
• were competing
  progressive
• had been competing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will compete
  simple
• will have competed
  perfect
• will be competing
  progressive
• will have been competing
  perfect progressive

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.

Example Sentences

Even if England fall short once again, this is now a team built to compete rather than enjoy a brief dalliance with success.

From BBC • Jul. 13, 2026

This has forced Olivier Pacific to slash prices to compete, Ao said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 13, 2026

The Long Beach State alum returns home this weekend to compete in AVP League matches.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 11, 2026

"When I started with the football federation in 2010, it was my dream that Norway could compete at the World Cup because we had too many years of talking about 1998," he told BBC Sport.

From BBC • Jul. 11, 2026

“You became best friends with Twig, and I couldn’t compete with that. Like, the second you saw her, you thought she was so shiny and awesome and whatever, so what was I supposed to do?”

From "The Science of Breakable Things" by Tae Keller

Related Words

• battle
• challenge
• clash
• contend
• contest
• face
• fight
• play
• spar
• try
• vie
• wrestle