INDEX:
1. to take part in a competition, sports event etc
2. to try to do better than another person or organization
3. a situation in which people try to do better than each other
4. someone who takes part in a competition
5. people who are trying to do better than each other
6. someone who likes competing
RELATED WORDS
see also
↑ AGAINST/OPPOSE
↑ COMPETITION
↑ PLAY A GAME OR SPORT
↑ SPORT/GAME
↑ GAME
↑ WIN
↑ LOSE
↑ TAKE PART/BE INVOLVED
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1. to take part in a competition, sports event etc
▷ compete /kəmˈpiːt/ [intransitive verb]
▪ Any child between the ages of 8 and 12 is allowed to compete.
compete in
▪ Athletes from 197 countries competed in the Olympic Games in Atlanta.
compete against
▪ Bailey has competed against athletes half his age and won.
▷ contest /kənˈtest/ [transitive verb] British
contest the final/the US Open/the election etc
to compete in a sporting event or election - used especially in newspapers and television reports :
▪ In 1991 White contested the US Open and the J G Scott Trophy.
▪ The leadership election will be contested by four candidates.
contested [adjective]
hotly contested
▪ a hotly contested Democratic primary
▷ race /reɪs/ [countable noun]
a competition in which people try to run, drive, ride a horse, etc faster than other people in order to finish first :
▪ It’s a 10-kilometer race from downtown to the river.
▪ the Breeder’s Cup races at Churchill Downs
win a race
▪ He’s won three races in a row, using the same car and the same engine.
qualify for a race
to have run, driven etc fast enough to take part in a particular race
▪ Krystal has already qualified for the hundred-metre race in the Olympics next year.
2. to try to do better than another person or organization
▷ compete /kəmˈpiːt/ [intransitive verb]
to try to do better than another person or organization, for example in business or politics :
compete with
▪ Nowadays we have to compete more and more with foreign companies.
compete against
▪ The cities are competing against each other to attract and retain business.
compete for
in order to get something
▪ Children will always compete for their parents’ attention.
can’t compete with somebody/something
not have enough skill, money etc to compete with another person, company etc
▪ Small independent bookstores just can’t compete with national chains and online retailers.
compete to do something
▪ Fujitsu, Hitachi, and NEC are competing with US firms to build the world’s fastest supercomputer.
▷ fight /faɪt/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
to try extremely hard to get an important job or political position that other people are also trying to get :
fight for
▪ If you want the job, you’ll have to fight for it.
fight somebody for something
▪ Williams fought several rivals for the leadership of the party.
▷ vie /vaɪ/ [intransitive verb] written
if two people, organizations etc vie with each other in order to do something, they compete in order to try to do it :
vie for
▪ The two political factions are vying for control of the school board.
vie with somebody for something
▪ Paris and Milan vie with each other for the title of world fashion capital.
▷ pit yourself against /ˈpɪt jɔːʳself əˌgenst/ [verb phrase]
to compete with someone in a fight or competition, especially someone who is stronger, more powerful etc than you :
▪ The company had pitted itself against the giants of the computer industry in an attempt to increase its share of the market.
pit your wits against somebody
compete with someone in a test of knowledge
▪ On the quiz show ordinary people pit their wits against a panel of celebrities.
3. a situation in which people try to do better than each other
▷ competition /ˌkɒmpɪˈtɪʃ ə n, ˌkɒmpəˈtɪʃ ə nǁˌkɑːm-/ [uncountable noun]
when people or organizations try hard to get something that they all want but only one of them can get :
competition for
▪ Competition for these jobs is very tough - we had over 200 applicants.
competition between
▪ There’s a lot of competition between the big supermarket chains.
face competition
▪ Today television networks face increasing competition from cable programming.
fierce/strong/tough/stiff competition
when a lot of people are all trying very hard to get something
▪ There is fierce competition for places on the Olympic team.
be in competition with somebody/something
to be in the situation where you are competing with someone else
▪ Hotels in the downtown area were in direct competition with each other.
cut-throat competition
very strong competition
▪ Weak management and cut-throat competition put the company out of business.
▷ competitive /kəmˈpetɪtɪv, kəmˈpetətɪv/ [adjective]
a competitive situation is one in which people try hard to do better than each other, for example in business or at school :
▪ Amanda hated working in advertising - it was so competitive.
highly/fiercely competitive
very competitive
▪ The atmosphere at our school was highly competitive.
▪ In such a fiercely competitive environment, it’s inevitable that some companies will go out of business.
▷ rivalry /ˈraɪv ə lri/ [countable/uncountable noun]
when two people, teams, or companies, especially when they are similarly successful or skilled, try to do better than each other over a long period of time :
rivalry between
▪ Holmes says that the rivalry between the two companies has been exaggerated.
fierce/intense rivalry
very strong rivalry
▪ There was an intense rivalry between the Brazilian and Italian teams.
sibling rivalry
when brothers and sisters try to do better than each other
▪ Just because sibling rivalry is normal doesn’t mean you should ignore it.
▷ battle/fight /ˈbætl, faɪt/ [countable noun]
a situation in which people or organizations fight against each other to get power or control of something, and they are all very determined to win :
battle/fight for
▪ The President’s advisors were engaged in a fierce battle for power.
▪ The fight for the construction contract is getting more bitter by the day.
straight fight
British a competition involving only two people or groups, especially after other people or groups have stopped taking part
▪ The Socialist candidate beat the Liberal in a straight fight.
▷ race /reɪs/ [countable noun]
a situation in which people or groups compete to get or achieve something :
▪ He lost to Pfeiffer in last year’s mayoral race.
▪ the arms race
race for
▪ In the race for the White House, candidates will promise almost anything.
the race is on
the competition has started
▪ The race is on to find a cure for AIDS, and drug companies have already invested millions in research.
▷ rat race /ˈræt reɪs/ [singular noun]
a situation or way of life in which everyone is competing strongly all the time, especially at work, with the result that they always feel worried and they do not enjoy their lives :
▪ I’m tired of the rat race - I’m tired of never getting ahead.
▪ Sunday I just try to relax because Monday morning, it’s back to the rat race.
4. someone who takes part in a competition
▷ competitor /kəmˈpetɪtəʳ, kəmˈpetətəʳ/ [countable noun]
someone who takes part in a competition :
▪ Two of the competitors failed to turn up for the first race.
▪ Each of these competitors has their eye on the £50,000 prize money.
▷ contestant /kənˈtestənt/ [countable noun]
someone who takes part in a contest, a television game, test of knowledge etc :
▪ The next contestant is Alice Myers from Vancouver.
▪ Each contestant has to answer questions on a variety of subjects.
5. people who are trying to do better than each other
▷ competitor /kəmˈpetɪtəʳ, kəmˈpetətəʳ/ [countable noun]
a person or company that tries to do better than another that offers similar goods or services :
▪ Their major competitors are IBM and Sun Microsystems.
▪ If we’re going to succeed, we’ll have to provide something that our competitors don’t.
▷ rival /ˈraɪv ə l/ [countable noun]
a person, team, or company that tries to do better than another similar one, especially over a long period :
▪ The two teams have always been rivals.
rival group/school/gang etc
▪ The fight started as an argument between rival gang members.
▷ the competition /ðə ˌkɒmpə̇ˈtɪʃ ə nǁ-ˌkɑːm-/ [singular noun]
all the people or groups that are trying to do better than you, especially in business :
▪ Our sales figures are 10% ahead of the competition.
strong competition
when the people you are competing against are very good
▪ The team overcame strong competition to gain their place in the finals.
6. someone who likes competing
▷ competitive /kəmˈpetɪtɪv, kəmˈpetətɪv/ [adjective]
someone who is competitive enjoys competing with other people and is always trying to do better than them :
▪ I hate playing tennis with Stephen - he’s too competitive.