rival

American  

[rahy-vuhl] / ˈraɪ vəl /

noun

1. a person who is competing for the same object or goal as another, or who tries to equal or outdo another; competitor.

   Synonyms:

   antagonist, adversary, adversary, emulator, opponent

   Antonyms:

   ally

2. a person or thing that is in a position to dispute another's preeminence or superiority.

   a stadium without a rival.

3. Obsolete. a companion in duty.

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adjective

1. competing or standing in rivalry: rival businesses.

   rival suitors;

   rival businesses.

   Synonyms:

   opposed, competitive

verb (used with object)

rivaled, rivaling, rivalled, rivalling

1. to compete with in rivalry; strive to win from, equal, or outdo.

   Synonyms:

   oppose

2. to prove to be a worthy rival of.

   He soon rivaled the others in skill.

3. to equal (something) as if in carrying on a rivalry.

   The Hudson rivals any European river in beauty.

   Synonyms:

   emulate, match

verb (used without object)

rivaled, rivaling, rivalled, rivalling

1. to engage in rivalry; compete.

rival British  

/ ˈraɪvəl /

noun

1. 1. a person, organization, team, etc, that competes with another for the same object or in the same field

   2. ( as modifier )

      rival suitors

      a rival company

2. a person or thing that is considered the equal of another or others

   she is without rival in the field of economics

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verb

1. to be the equal or near equal of

   an empire that rivalled Rome

2. to try to equal or surpass; compete with in rivalry

Related Words

See opponent.

Other Word Forms

• nonrival noun
• outrival verb (used with object)
• rivalless adjective
• unrivaling adjective
• unrivalling adjective

Etymology

Origin of rival

First recorded in 1570–80; from Latin rīvālis, originally, “one who uses a stream in common with another,” equivalent to rīv(us) “stream” + -ālis -al ¹

Example Sentences

Shares of banks have recently outperformed their nonbank mortgage rivals, even against the backdrop of falling mortgage rates, which ought to be a big boost to refinance activity.

From The Wall Street Journal

Dozens of its rivals declined for decades and filed for bankruptcy or went out of business.

From The Wall Street Journal

The shift by the U.S. has been far more jarring, coming from Europe’s closest historic ally rather than a geopolitical rival in China.

From The Wall Street Journal

But Paramount, which is backed by tech billionaire Larry Ellison and led by his son David, made a rival offer as it looks to transform itself into a Hollywood heavyweight.

From BBC

Over the past year, fast-casual restaurants — which try to offer the quality of a sit-down chain at the speed of fast food — have been squeezed by value offerings from rivals like Chili’s and McDonald’s.

From MarketWatch

Related Words

• adversary
• challenger
• competition
• competitor
• contender
• opponent
• peer