From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishcompetencecom‧pe‧tence /ˈkɒmpətəns $ ˈkɑːm-/ ●●○ noun 1 [uncountable] (also competency /-tənsi/)GOOD AT the ability to do something well OPP incompetencecompetence in Students will gain competence in a wide range of skills.competence of He questioned the competence of the government.professional/linguistic/technical etc competence Doctors have to constantly update their knowledge in order to maintain their professional competence.2 [uncountable] lawSCL the legal power of a court of law to hear and judge something in court, or of a government to do somethingbe within the competence of something Many legal issues are within the competence of individual states rather than the federal government.3 [countable] (also competency) formalBECAN a skill needed to do a particular job Typing is considered by most employers to be a basic competence.COLLOCATIONSverbshave competenceOlder people often feel that they don't have any competence with computers.demonstrate/show competenceStudents have to demonstrate competence in maths and science.acquire/achieve/gain/develop competenceFirst you have to acquire competence in methods of research.lack competenceSome staff members lacked the competence to deal with technical problems.adjectivesprofessional competenceThe courses will improve the skills and professional competence of the staff.technical/linguistic/managerial etc competenceThere are many careers that require a high degree of linguistic competence.social competenceThe first years of life are very important in a child's growth toward social competence.phrasesa level/standard/degree of competenceThe trainees are expected to acquire a basic level of competence.
Examples from the Corpus
competence• Mastery, absolute competence, is mandatory for a leader.• There was never any question about his competence.• It is this which enables language competence and thus also language performance.• The level of competence among hospital staff was not as high as expected.• But we act in these matters not by authority of our competence but by force of our commissions.• All however, share the aim of developing professional competence.• Whom you see depends sometimes on professional competence and journalistic ability.• Understanding the instructions requires a ninth grade reading competence.• It is the competence to recognize and enact the rules, procedures and forms of understanding of a particular cultural environment.• Players are judged by their competence on the field.professional/linguistic/technical etc competence• They need to provide better information and more evidence of courtesy, caring and professional competence, researchers concluded.• As a result of increasing specialisations and technical competence, delegation of authority has increased.• The traditional approach to the training and selection of headteachers has been on the basis of technical competence reinforced by practical experience.• In the field of criminal investigation there are as yet no advanced and generally accepted standards of professional competence.• Whom you see depends sometimes on professional competence and journalistic ability.• Still, they had been promoted primarily for their technical competence, not their management or interpersonal skill.• The managers did come to see that acquiring managerial competence actually meant sacrificing some of their technical competence.• When the pressure is on to respond to an event after it happens, the client will then judge your professional competence.be within the competence of something• It is within the competence of the examiners not to mark examination work judged by them to be illegible. 20.• That none of this is within the competence of animals would seem to influence a preference for them as laboratory subjects.• A dictionary, for example, does not record meanings which are within the competence of all language users.• So administration would be within the competence of any literate person.From Longman Business Dictionarycompetencecom‧pe‧tence /ˈkɒmpətənsˈkɑːm-/ noun1[uncountable] (also competency) the ability or skill to do something well or to a satisfactory standardTo remain in the guild, members must maintain their standards of professional competence.Part of the job requirement is that the candidate has competence in English.2[countable, uncountable] (also competency)HUMAN RESOURCES a skill that you need to do a particular jobshort residential courses designed to develop specific management competences3[singular] British EnglishLAW the official authority of a court to hear a legal caseSYNJURISDICTIONThe Court of Appeal possesses the competence to set aside convictions.4[uncountable]LAW when someone is old enough, well enough, or intelligent enough to make decisions, appear in a court of law, sign a legal document etcMany children’s solicitors found it difficult to determine the child’s competence to give instructions. 