compete
[ kuhm-peet ]
/ kəmˈpit /
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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.
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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
How to use compete in a sentence
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
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