competition

[ kom-pi-tish-uhn ]
See synonyms for competition on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. the act of competing; rivalry for supremacy, a prize, etc.: The competition between the two teams was bitter.

  2. a contest for some prize, honor, or advantage: Both girls entered the competition.

  1. the rivalry offered by a competitor: The small merchant gets powerful competition from the chain stores.

  2. a competitor or competitors: What is your competition offering?

  3. 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.

  4. Ecology. the struggle among organisms, both of the same and of different species, for food, space, and other vital requirements.

Origin of competition

1
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 ) + -iō -ion; sense influenced by competitor

Other words for competition

Other words from competition

  • non·com·pe·ti·tion, adjective
  • pro·com·pe·ti·tion, adjective
  • su·per·com·pe·ti·tion, noun

Words Nearby competition

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use competition in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for competition

competition

/ (ˌkɒmpɪˈtɪʃən) /


noun
  1. the act of competing; rivalry

  2. a contest in which a winner is selected from among two or more entrants

  1. a series of games, sports events, etc

  2. the opposition offered by a competitor or competitors

  3. a competitor or competitors offering opposition

  4. 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

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

Scientific definitions for competition

competition

[ kŏm′pĭ-tĭshən ]


  1. The simultaneous demand by two or more organisms for limited environmental resources, such as nutrients, living space, or light.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.