From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishrivalri‧val1 /ˈraɪvəl/ ●●○ W3 noun [countable] 1 COMPETE WITH/TRY TO BEATa person, group, or organization that you compete with in sport, business, a fight etc SYN competitor This gives the company a competitive advantage over its rivals.rival for his chief rival for the job He finished 39 seconds ahead of his main rival. She was 2 minutes faster than her nearest rival. a game against their old rivals, Manchester United They still remain bitter rivals (=hate each other). Their sales have now overtaken those of their arch-rival (=main or strongest rival).rival company/firm/team etc Sheena left her job and went to work for a rival company.2 EQUALone of a group of things that people can choose between The newest model has several advantages over its rivals.COLLOCATIONSadjectivessomebody's main/chief rivalWho is the champion's main rival?somebody's nearest/closest rival (=the one that is closest to beating them)She finished 7.1 seconds ahead of her nearest rival.a great rival (=an important rival for a long time)Oxford and Cambridge University have always been great rivals somebody's arch-rival (=their main or strongest rival)McDonald's and its arch-rival Burger Kinga serious rivalHe knows that he has no serious rival for the job.an old rivalHindhead had a convincing victory over their old rivals, Frensham.a potential rival (=one who is likely to be a rival in the future)Their business is a potential rival for ours.a bitter rival (=one that hates you)They have long been bitter rivals.a political rivalAt the time, France and Britain were major political rivals.a presidential rivalHis presidential rivals have vigorously attacked him.rival + NOUNrival factions/groupsMy task is to unite the rival factions within the party. a rival teamThe rival team's fans were in the other part of the ground.a rival gangThe street is a war zone between two rival gangs.rival fans/supportersThere were fights between rival fans after the match.a rival company/firmIt may have to merge with a rival company to stay in business.
Examples from the Corpus
rival• The two teams have always been rivals.• The fight started as an argument between rival gang members.• They do not have to do down rivals in order to benefit themselves.• Like Medea, she plots revenge on her rival, the bride-to-be, and threatens her own child.• The cult of Mithras was Christianity's main rival at the time of Constantine.• So far no rivals have matched the rave reviews E ma won for the film.• Police and prosecutors, especially those in the pay of rival cartels, have been a special Arellano target.• Mr Reaves claims the industry connections and combined experience give his funds an edge over rivals in picking turnaround candidates.• Sorry, Clinton only switched running mates for the evening to poke fun at Republican rival George Bush.• He knows that he has no serious rival for the job.• As with the tiger it is the male's warning to rivals to stay off its home range.rival company/firm/team etc• She married a colleague who then left to work for a rival firm.• One woman was sacked the day after her wedding to a rival firm's employee.• But the battles in each market are as often against nationalism as against rival firms.• They have long acted independently, rather like managing directors of rival companies.• Dealers, sometimes surreptitiously encouraged by their firms, would go to great lengths to extract information from employees of rival firms.• It has succeeded without any of the marketing hype, environmental or otherwise, that rival firms use to soft-soap their customers.• What's more, the rival teams have changed as well.• Two rival companies, Toshiba and Hitachi, saw a steep fall in profits.rivalrival2 ●○○ verb (rivalled, rivalling British English, rivaled, rivaling American English) [transitive]GOOD AT to be as good or important as someone or something else → unrivalled The college’s facilities rival those of Harvard and Yale. a stadium to rival any in the world→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
rival• Organisers claim that the event will rival, if not eclipse, this year's Tall Ships extravaganza.• The new aeroplane would rival its competitors in terms of noise, range and versatility.• The weathermen said the storm had rivalled summer hurricanes in its intensity.• No other category of asset came close to rivalling that performance.• Chef Shawn's apple pie rivals the best I've tasted.• The prince built a vast palace, rivalling Versailles in size and opulence.From Longman Business Dictionaryrivalri‧val1 /ˈraɪvəl/ noun [countable]1a person, group, or organization that you compete withThe authorities hope that such changes will help Italian banks compete more effectively against European rivals.rival forThe two men had been rivals for the top job three years ago.Jack left his job and went to work for a rival company.2one of a number of products that people can choose betweenThe car was a success because it met the needs of car buyers better than most of its rivals.Your product needs to be better than rival products in precisely specified ways.3rival bid/offerFINANCE a BID etc that is competing with anotherAnother travel company has now come in with a rival bid.rivalrival2 verb (rivalled, rivalling British English, rivaled, rivaling) American English [transitive] to be as good or important as someone or something elseThis notebook computer rivals the power of some desk-top models.→ See Verb tableOrigin rival1 (1500-1600) Latin rivalis “someone who uses the same stream as another, rival in love”, from rivus “stream” 