compete

verb

com·​pete kəm-ˈpēt How to pronounce compete (audio)
competed; competing

intransitive verb

: to strive consciously or unconsciously for an objective (such as position, profit, or a prize) : be in a state of rivalry
competing teams
companies competing for customers

Examples of compete in a Sentence

Thousands of applicants are competing for the same job. She competed against students from around the country. We are competing with companies that are twice our size. Did you compete in the track meet on Saturday? The radio and the television were both on, competing for our attention.
Recent Examples on the Web During the Love Is Blind season 6 reunion on Wednesday, co-host Nick Lachey — who also hosts Perfect Match — revealed that Jessica Vestal, Micah Lussier and Izzy Zapata will be competing for a second chance at love. Joelle Goldstein, Peoplemag, 14 Mar. 2024 And the election would have a completely different vibe: Instead of ignoring his strongest Democratic opponents, Schiff would have had to compete to be their supporters’ second choice. David Daley, The Mercury News, 14 Mar. 2024 In the Florida case, the judge is weighing competing requests: prosecutors asked to start in early July, and Trump sought a date no sooner than August. Devlin Barrett, Washington Post, 14 Mar. 2024 In light of these conflicts, Kassan resigned his post and waived a nearly $10 million severance package from UTA in order to retain his right to compete against them, the filing said. Matt Donnelly, Variety, 13 Mar. 2024 There are just too many of these projects, competing not only with one another but with ongoing series that have built-in viewer loyalty. Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 13 Mar. 2024 Balazs was an athlete who competed in sports like football and basketball but equally enjoyed learning how to source code from physical magazines in his parents’ basement in Ohio. John Kell, Fortune, 13 Mar. 2024 Raman and her two challengers were competing to represent a district that straddles the Hollywood Hills, stretching from Silver Lake in the east to the San Fernando Valley neighborhood of Reseda in the west. David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2024 Friends and family of a beloved freshman athlete at a Christian Kentucky college cannot fathom why his wrestling teammate allegedly strangled him in his dorm room just days before their team traveled to Kansas to compete for a national championship. Christina Coulter, Fox News, 3 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'compete.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Late Latin competere to seek together, from Latin, to come together, agree, be suitable, from com- + petere to go to, seek — more at feather

First Known Use

1620, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of compete was in 1620

Dictionary Entries Near compete

Cite this Entry

“Compete.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/compete. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

compete

verb
com·​pete kəm-ˈpēt How to pronounce compete (audio)
competed; competing
: to strive for something (as a prize or reward) for which another is also striving : contest

More from Merriam-Webster on compete

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