compete

verb

com·​pete kəm-ˈpēt 

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

Synonyms of compete

• contend
• race
• fight
• battle

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

The disputes later spilled into the courts, with players challenging suspensions and the rival organizations pursuing competing legal claims. — Matthew Tan, CNBC, 5 Nov. 2026

In the late 1870s, a pair of competing railroad companies—the Denver & Rio Grande and the Santa Fe—duked it out for the chance to build tracks through this narrow canyon. — Sarah Kuta, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 Nov. 2026

The competing accounts opened the retrial of Jonathan Rinderknecht, after his first jury in June deadlocked 10 to 2 in favor of acquittal. — Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2026

Both still generate substantial cash and can borrow readily, but their spending means that continued support for Anthropic increasingly competes with their own buildouts for capital. — Wen Shao, Fortune, 4 Nov. 2026

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

Phrases Containing compete

• can't compete

Rhymes for compete

• amit
• athlete
• backseat
• blackfeet
• broadsheet
• browbeat
• buckwheat
• compleat
• complete
• conceit
• concrete
• crabmeat

Kids Definition

compete

verb

com·​pete kəm-ˈpēt 

competed; competing

: to strive for something (as a prize or reward) for which another is also striving : contest