compete
Americanverb (used without object)
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
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competesimple
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competessimple
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have competedperfect
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has competedperfect
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am competingprogressive
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are competingprogressive
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is competingprogressive
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have been competingperfect progressive
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has been competingperfect progressive
Past
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competedsimple
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had competedperfect
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was competingprogressive
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were competingprogressive
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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!"
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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:
To compete with their inboard cousins, outboards had to become more powerful without adding so much weight that they threw off the boat’s balance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
It follows four rival families of lions, leopards, hyenas and wild dogs as they compete for dominance, with all the shifting alliances, betrayals and power struggles of a prestige drama.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
"I grew up watching them compete," she says.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
In 1916, when the 36-inch pipeline was dropped into the ground along Sunset Boulevard, cars were just beginning to compete with trolleys and horse-drawn wagons in Los Angeles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026
“Plus, if I switch schools, who’s going to compete with you for valedictorian?”
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
Many of the private universities it competes with, including all Ivy League schools, Stanford and Caltech, have reinstated the testing requirements suspended over COVID-era disruptions or racial equity concerns.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026
High-frequency trading competes over microseconds and European regulations for it require time stamps accurate within 100 millionths of a second.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 2026
Space Force competes "with Silicon Valley and major aerospace firms for top-tier talent," the spokesperson said.
From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026
That leaves ranchers with fewer buyers, weaker bargaining power and less reliable access to processing capacity — especially as more imported beef competes for space in the same supply chain.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026
At night, every living thing competes for a chance to be heard.
From "Brown Girl Dreaming" by Jacqueline Woodson
The Brazilian, 34, has not competed since losing to Loopy Godinez last August, when she injured a shoulder.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
The Summer Games in Atlanta marked the first time since 1952 that the Russian team competed but didn’t win gold.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
Rapp, from Indiana, competed in athletics before transitioning to boxing.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
They have competed without Plum, their top scorer, for 12 games and former No. 2 overall pick Brink during the past nine contests.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
For years Soviet grandmasters had competed only against one another, ensuring that the championship would remain in the hands of the Soviet Union.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
In his nine-year-old mind, the notion of competing in the Commonwealth Games for Scotland began to form.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
Discovery could easily clear regulatory hurdles — unlike Netflix’s competing bid.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026
Effectively competing is expensive, requiring persistent participation in spectrum auctions and constant investments in network competitiveness.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 25, 2026
The movement is now about “the erosion of the promise that studying hard and competing fairly would deliver upward mobility.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026
He’d also gifted me with a love for the sport and a passion for competing.
From "Courage to Soar" by Simone Biles
Definitions 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.
