compete
[ kuhm-peet ]
/ kəmˈpit /
Save This Word!
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.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?
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 FROM compete
com·pet·er, nouncom·pet·ing·ly, adverbnon·com·pet·ing, adjectiveout·com·pete, verb (used with object), out·com·pet·ed, out·com·pet·ing.Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
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)
Word Origin for 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