26984 words

compete

5 definitions • 12 examples
1
to try to be more successful than someone or something else:

Examples:

compete against It's difficult for a small shop to compete against the big supermarkets.
compete with In the tournament, she was competing with the best players in the country.
compete for Both girls compete for their father's attention.
figurative Turn the music down - I'm not competing against/with that noise (= I can't/won't try to speak louder than that music)!
2
to take part in a race or competition:

Examples:

compete in Are you competing in the 100 metres?
compete for The two athletes are competing for the gold medal.
3
to do an activity with others and try to do better than they do:

Examples:

Two TV stations are competing for the top spot in the state of Iowa.
4
To compete is also to be part of a sports activity in which you are trying to win:

Examples:

He will compete in track this spring and play football next fall.
5
to try to be more successful than someone or something else:

Examples:

It's difficult to compete when there are so many similar businesses.
Small local supermarkets are working hard to compete with the giant chains.
Startup companies must compete against established companies which have had many years to build up their markets.

Navigation