competitor
Americannoun
noun
Synonym Usage
See opponent.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of competitor
First recorded in 1525–35; from Latin competītor “rival for an office,” equivalent to com- com- + petītor “seeker, claimant” ( see petitor)
Explanation
Competitors are rivals or contenders for the same thing. Two boxers in a ring are competitors, and so are restaurants located on the same block. When people compete (in sports, business, or elsewhere), they're trying to achieve the same goal and are therefore considered competitors. Two teams in the same sports division are competitors. Two politicians running for the same office are competitors. And even two guys courting the same gal are considered competitors. Competitors are out to win.
Vocabulary lists containing competitor
Vocabulary of the Summer Olympics
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Chapter 11: Industry and Immigration, Lessons 1–3
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List, Group, Label pre-reading exercise
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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.
That makes it a direct competitor to Apple’s MacBook Neo, the iPhone maker’s laptop which it launched in March with a price of $599, or $499 for students.
From Barron's • Jun. 1, 2026
Another competitor, SpaceX, plans to go public later this month.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 1, 2026
That changed with the release of hit products like its AI coding tool Claude Code, which became a viral hit across Silicon Valley and helped position Anthropic as a real competitor to OpenAI.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 1, 2026
I’ve had trouble in Phoenix getting competitor Waymo to pick up or drop off at exact locations.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 29, 2026
Another time, a man tried to open a competitor to the Turners’ general store.
From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
