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Synonyms

competition

American  
[kom-pi-tish-uhn] / ˌkɒm pɪˈtɪʃ ən /

noun

  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

"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

competition Scientific  
/ kŏm′pĭ-tĭshən /
  1. The simultaneous demand by two or more organisms for limited environmental resources, such as nutrients, living space, or light.


Other Word Forms

  • noncompetition adjective
  • procompetition adjective
  • supercompetition noun

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

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.

Chesney’s core philosophies include fostering a growth mindset and instilling confidence through competitions in which the celebrations are judged as closely as what happens on the field.

From Los Angeles Times

The car was so fast for so much of the season that the stiffest competition its drivers faced was from each other.

From The Wall Street Journal

As competition intensifies to create the first reliable, large-scale commercial quantum computer, a critical issue has become harder to ignore.

From Science Daily

Competitive excel has been around for about 20 years and is essentially a puzzle solving competition, thinking logically about how you can create a general solution to a question which is scalable and fast.

From BBC

Tesla is facing increased competition from attractively priced Chinese brands and has also suffered from a tarnished image owing to controversies surrounding its billionaire CEO Elon Musk.

From Barron's