competitor

noun

com·​pet·​i·​tor kəm-ˈpe-tə-tər 

: one that competes: such as

a

: rival

a fierce competitor on the soccer field

b

: one selling or buying goods or services in the same market as another

offering lower prices than our competitors

c

: an organism that lives in competition with another

The squid population increased dramatically when food competitors were depleted by heavy overfishing.

Synonyms of competitor

• contestant
• contender
• rival
• challenger

Examples of competitor in a Sentence

We offer better rates than our competitors.

There were more than 500 competitors in the race.

Recent Examples on the Web

Information is more likely to qualify as a trade secret if its disclosure to a competitor could cause significant harm to the former employer and the company has taken steps to restrict access. — Jenny Lee, CNBC, 5 Nov. 2026

Barrera’s competitor, Shaw, is also a local school board president. — Tarini Mehta, Sacbee.com, 4 Nov. 2026

But that seems like a far cry from the adversarial or defensive missions Shield Space and its competitors imagine. — Mark Piesing, Space.com, 4 Nov. 2026

On Tuesday, Doral voters chose Moody’s competitor, Angie Nixon, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, by 3 percentage points. — Andrea Castillo, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2026

Word History

Etymology

see competition

First Known Use

1534, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

competitor

noun

com·​pet·​i·​tor kəm-ˈpet-ət-ər 

: one that competes especially in the selling of goods or services : rival