competition

American  

[kom-pi-tish-uhn] / ˌkɒm pɪˈtɪʃ ən /

noun

• competitions
  plural

1. 

   the act of competing; rivalry for supremacy, a prize, etc..

   The competition between the two teams was bitter.

   Synonyms:

   emulation

2. a contest for some prize, honor, or advantage.

   Both girls entered the competition.

   Synonyms:

   struggle

3. the rivalry offered by a competitor.

   The small merchant gets powerful competition from the chain stores.

4. a competitor or competitors.

   What is your competition offering?

5. 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.

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

---

competition British  

/ ˌkɒmpɪˈtɪʃən /

noun

1. the act of competing; rivalry

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

3. a series of games, sports events, etc

4. the opposition offered by a competitor or competitors

5. a competitor or competitors offering opposition

6. 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

---

competition Scientific  

/ kŏm′pĭ-tĭsh′ən /

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

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• supercompetition
  noun
• noncompetition
  adjective
• procompetition
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• competitions
  plural

Etymology

Origin of competition

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 ( def. )) + -iō -ion; sense influenced by competitor

Explanation

If you are trying to win or attempting to prove you're the best, you're in a competition. The word also describes your opponent in sports, business, and politics. If you're trying to beat out someone else — whether in the Olympics or a pie-baking contest — it's a competition, and the other contestants are called the competition too. If you describe something as a "friendly competition," you're saying the outcome isn't critical, or there's no money involved. If you do something impressive in order to win, people will say competition brings out the best in you. If you try to injure your opponent, they'll say it brings out the worst.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

competition competitions

If he couldn’t outrun or outthrow the competition, he was determined to outwork and outsmart them—even if that meant he didn’t have time for much else.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

A number of scientists, including former competition judges, complained to Nikon on its LinkedIn page that the video did not appear to be real.

From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026

His passion for football would never fade, apparent in his launch of X Football, women’s tackle football competition league, in 2021.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026

But when it comes to the difference in performance among all three leads, there’s really no competition.

From Salon ● Oct. 9, 2026

Hoping the match would be another Reykjavik—in explosive media attention if not financial outcome—cities around the world submitted bids to host the competition.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

In 2020, City successfully overturned their two-year ban from European club competitions handed down by Uefa.

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026

While a points deduction could rule City out of qualifying by league position, it might still be achieved through cup competitions.

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026

Other recent competitions had taken the family to Florida, Mississippi and Texas.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026

The Cherry and Whites ran in eight tries to make it two wins from two in the league and three on the bounce in all competitions.

From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026

This meant we could be formally recognized by the clubs, play in interclub pennant matches, and compete in regional and statewide competitions.

From "Ugly" by Robert Hoge

Related Words

• championship
• clash
• event
• fight
• game
• match
• meeting
• race
• rivalry
• sport
• struggle
• tournament
• trial