vie

American  

[vahy] / vaɪ /

verb (used without object)

• vies,
  present (3rd person singular)
• vied,
  past participle,  past
• vying
  present participle

1. to strive in competition or rivalry with another; contend for superiority.

   Swimmers from many nations were vying for the title.

   Synonyms:

   struggle, contest, compete

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verb (used with object)

• vies,
  present (3rd person singular)
• vied,
  past participle,  past
• vying
  present participle

1. Archaic. to put forward in competition or rivalry.

2. Obsolete. to stake in card playing.

vie British  

/ vaɪ /

verb

1. (intr; foll by with or for) to contend for superiority or victory (with) or strive in competition (for)

2. archaic (tr) to offer, exchange, or display in rivalry

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• vier
  noun
• outvie
  verb (used with object)
• vying
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• vying
  present
• vied
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• vie
  simple
• vies
  simple
• have vied
  perfect
• has vied
  perfect
• am vying
  progressive
• are vying
  progressive
• is vying
  progressive
• have been vying
  perfect progressive
• has been vying
  perfect progressive

Past

• vied
  simple
• had vied
  perfect
• was vying
  progressive
• were vying
  progressive
• had been vying
  perfect progressive

Future

• will vie
  simple
• will have vied
  perfect
• will be vying
  progressive
• will have been vying
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of vie

First recorded in 1525–35; by shortening of Middle French envier “to raise the stake (at cards),” Old French: “to challenge, provoke,” from Latin invītāre “to entertain, treat, invite”

Explanation

To vie for something means to compete for it. Two teams may vie for the gold medal, but one will have to go home with silver. Vie may be spelled the same as the French word, vie, but they are pronounced differently, vī and vē respectively, and are not related in meaning or history. English vie comes from the Latin verb meaning "to invite" as in to invite a challenge. Be careful of the spelling which includes an ie to y shift. “He intends to vie for the top prize,” but “He is vying for the top prize.”

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

vie vies vied vying

“The 1-15 day weather forecast may vie for the hottest on record,” Eli Rubin of EBW Analytics says in a note.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

This summer, the technological race continues as the two sides vie for the upper hand on land, at sea and in the skies.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

The polls have opened in Clacton-on-Sea as a record number of candidates vie to become the town's next MP.

From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026

Big Tech along with AI start-ups Anthropic and OpenAI are currently fighting for the top AI talent in the marketplace as they all vie for superiority in the space.

From Barron's ● Jun. 22, 2026

And old Laertes cried aloud: “Ah, what a day for me, dear gods! to see my son and grandson vie in courage!”

From "The Odyssey" by Homer

With a per capita income of $1,500, according to the World Bank, Pakistan vies with landlocked Nepal for the title of poorest country in the region.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 22, 2026

Aldi has announced its second wage increase for floor staff since the new year, as it vies to increase its market share in the UK.

From BBC ● Feb. 25, 2026

Meanwhile, Ariana Grande vies once again for a supporting actor prize for her performance as Glinda in “Wicked: For Good.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 8, 2026

Investors appear to be catching on to the pattern of escalation, followed immediately by de-escalation, as each side vies for maximum leverage.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2025

It was that half-light of evening, which is neither day nor night, when the early moon vies with the dying sunlight.

From Treasure of Kings Being the Story of the Discovery of the \"Big Fish,\" or the Quest of the Greater Treasure of the Incas of Peru. by Charles Gilson

The race seems somewhat reminiscent of the 2003 recall election when 135 candidates vied to replace then-Gov.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 31, 2026

The iPhone maker has consistently vied for title of world’s most valuable company, producing an eye-catching 557% return since the end of 2017.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 9, 2026

According to Tokyo's metropolitan government, some 108,000 people vied to get one of the 4,400 slots available for one last look at the zoo's beloved pandas.

From BBC ● Jan. 25, 2026

Many clients who spoke to The Times said that among the partners, Yaghoubtil in particular vied hard to get their business.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 31, 2025

Every second a greater relief vied with a greater disappointment inside me.

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss

Google's autonomous car company Waymo and the Chinese tech giant Baidu are also vying to launch services in the UK, and the competition is fierce.

From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026

But in a sport no longer dominated by teenage one-hit wonders, there will be three women vying to join the exclusive triple U.S.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026

Nowadays, it’s hard to unpack these narratives, when there are a thousand other issues vying for people’s attention.

From Salon ● Aug. 31, 2026

Despite this health warning, two candidates are on the ballot paper vying to take on the challenge - Michael Marra and Joe Fagan.

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026

In a strange way we seemed to be vying for the worst experience.

From "The Boy on the Wooden Box" by Leon Leyson

Related Words

• contend
• strive