I. ˈrīvəl noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle French or Latin; Middle French, from Latin rivalis one having water rights to the same stream as another, rival in love, from rivalis, adjective, of a brook or stream, from rivus brook, stream + -alis -al — more at rise
1.
a. : one of two or more striving for what only one can possess
rivals for the throne
b. : one striving for competitive advantage
rivals in business
2. obsolete : associate , companion
the rivals of my watch — Shakespeare
3. : one that equals another in the possession of desired qualities or aptitudes : peer
was easily Carson's rival as a pistol shot — Willa Cather
a cathedral that is the rival of any in Christendom
II. adjective
: having the same pretensions or claims : competing , contesting
problem of the rival claims of sense and reason — Benjamin Farrington
a world where rival propagandists are perpetually blazing falsehoods at us — Bertrand Russell
tried to make myself persona grata to rival factions — V.G.Heiser
rival labor unions
III. verb
( rivaled or rivalled ; rivaled or rivalled ; rivaling or rivalling -v(ə)liŋ ; rivals )
intransitive verb
: to act as a rival : compete
friends rivaling in good deeds
transitive verb
1. : to be in competition with : strive to gain some object in opposition to
2. : to strive to equal or excel : emulate
3. : to possess qualities or aptitudes that equal (those of another)
such ancient glass as we have in our parish churches rivals any in the world — Ivor Bulmer-Thomas
growing rich in a boom that rivaled the Yukon gold rush — American Guide Series: Michigan
Synonyms: see match