rival
noun
a person who is competing for the same object or goal as another, or who tries to equal or outdo another; competitor.
had been rivalling
-
past perfect progressiveof rival.past perfect progressive
Used to describe an action that was ongoing continuously in the past up until another past event interrupted it.
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.
It was the summer of 1990 and the world’s best football nations had been rivalling for planetary supremacy in Italy but a hitherto unknown central African state Cameroon had stolen the headlines.
From The Guardian ● Jun. 24, 2019
