competeverb [ I ]
uk/kəmˈpiːt/us/kəmˈpiːt/B2 to try to be more successful than someone or something else:
It's difficult for a small shop to compete against/with the big supermarkets.
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)!
B1 to take part in a race or competition:
Are you competing in the 100 metres?
The two athletes are competing for the gold medal.
More examples
- Men and women ought to be able to compete for jobs on an equal footing.
- The company has to be able to compete globally.
- The company lacks the marketing muscle to compete with drug giants.
- We're only a small business and don't have the capital to compete with the big boys.
- For the magazine to be successful, it will have to compete in the big league against leading weekly women's magazines.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Competing and contending (non-sporting)
- cat
- challenge
- close-run
- competitive
- contend
- contender
- contest
- contestant
- entry
- go in for sth
- one-upmanship
- pit sb/sth against sb/sth
- pit your wits against sb/sth idiom
- play cat and mouse idiom
- play sb/sth off against sb/sth
- race
- rivalry
- scramble
- square
- try out for sth
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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Competing in sport