Word family noun competition competitor competitiveness adjective competitive ≠ uncompetitive competing verb compete adverb competitively
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishcompetecom‧pete /kəmˈpiːt/ ●●● S3 W3 verb [intransitive] 1 PERSON/BUSINESSCOMPETE WITH/TRY TO BEATbusiness if one company or country competes with another, it tries to get people to buy its goods or services rather than those available from another company or country → competition, competitor, competitivecompete with/against They found themselves competing with foreign companies for a share of the market. The Renault Clio competes against such cars as the Peugeot 206.compete for The stores have to compete for customers in the Christmas season.compete in The company must be able to compete in the international marketplace.compete to do something Several advertising agencies are competing to get the contract.can’t compete (with something) (=be unable to be more successful) Small independent bookstores simply can’t compete with the big national chains.2 person to try to gain something and stop someone else from having it or having as much of it → competition, competitivecompete for She and her sister are always competing for attention.compete against I had to compete against 19 other people for the job.compete with As a stepmother, don’t even try to compete with the children’s mother for their love.3 in a competitionIN A COMPETITIONTAKE PART/BE INVOLVED to take part in a competition or sports event → competitorcompete in/at How many runners will be competing in the marathon? Professional athletes may now compete at the Olympics.compete against He’ll be competing against the world’s best.► see thesaurus at participate4 → somebody/something can’t compete with somebody/somethingGRAMMAR: Reciprocal verbsCompete is a reciprocal verb. This type of verb is used when saying that two or more people or groups do something that involves both or all of them: We were competing for her attention. You can also say: We were competing with each other for her attention.I was competing with them for her attention.→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
compete• Any child between the ages of 8 and 12 is allowed to compete.• But you've got to compete.• Bailey has competed against athletes half his age and won.• The cities are competing against each other to attract and retain business.• Flocks of executives entered the company from competing firms, bringing different styles, values, and corporate cultures with them.• Children will always compete for their parents' attention.• But they do compete in advanced services like electronic mail and computer-data networks.• Athletes from 197 counties competed in the Olympic Games in Atlanta.• Nowadays we have to compete more and more with foreign companies.• But she hated having to compete when it was cold.• An educational game in which up to four players compete with animals for a set amount of food.• Small independent bookstores just can't compete with national chains and online retailers.• Fujitsu, Hitachi, and NEC are competing with US firms to build the world's fastest supercomputer.compete to do something• Very generally, there are always two fracture mechanisms competing to break a material - plastic flow and brittle cracking.• Though funds are scarce, conservation teams from around the world compete to get in on this important and prestigious project.• Several advertising agencies are competing to get the contract.• Conventional game theory shows clearly why East and West compete to out-gun each other.• Suppose that the number of firms competing to produce a good in one country is smaller than the number in another.• You create an atmosphere of stress, creative stress, everyone competing to solve one problem.• Numerous firms competed to supply markets at prices which none controlled.• Political parties compete to win elections by submitting distinct programmes from which the electorate can choose.compete with• As a stepmother, don't even try to compete with the children's mother for their love.• The songs of the birds competed with the sound of the church bells.compete in/at• She won three world championship medals and competed in 25 major international meets.• Even the payment of players was regulated in such a way as to prevent clubs competing in a free market for talent.• The professional is for car hi-fi dealers to compete in and is a competition in its own right.• Nevertheless, by age 5, she was competing in regional music festivals.• Ex-USF star Wilson Stephens will compete in the 6-3-and-over consolation final.• How many runners are competing in the Boston Marathon?• This enabled me still to compete in the Hammersmith and London Schools.• Professional athletes may now compete at the Olympics.From Longman Business Dictionarycompetecom‧pete /kəmˈpiːt/ verb [intransitive]COMMERCE when one company or country competes with another, it tries to get people to buy its goods or services rather than those available from another company or countrymeasures to enable Irish industries to compete effectively in Europecompete withIt has to keep its own prices down so that it can compete with other major electricity suppliers.compete forIf the pound continues at this level our exporters can’t compete for sales across the Atlantic.→ See Verb tableOrigin compete (1600-1700) Late Latin competere “to try (with others) to get”, from Latin, “to come together, agree, be suitable”, from com- ( → COM-) + petere “to go to, look for” 