compete

verb

com·pete | \ kəm-ˈpēt

competed; competing

Definition of compete

: 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 More Example Sentences Learn More about compete

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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

Renowned as Jackie Kennedy's former vacation spot, this Cape Cod cottage has the sort of understated charm that complements—rather than competes with—its garden and beachfront views. — Candace Braun Davison, House Beautiful, "You Can Now Get Designers' Most Iconic Looks in Your Own Home," 14 Mar. 2019 To compete with the Lusitania and its mate, White Star Line entered into a giant ship war. — David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, "The Wild Conspiracy That the Titanic Never Sank," 27 Feb. 2019 Other competing airlines end up changing their prices to match, meaning the deals are in no short supply. — Megan Stein, Country Living, "Here's the Best Time to Book Your Summer Travel," 27 Feb. 2019 Some competing virtual-reality devices have used a high-speed WiGig radio to transfer content, but Microsoft’s HoloLens 2 spec list includes a pretty generic 2x2 802.11ac wireless radio. — Mark Hachman, PCWorld, "Microsoft launches HoloLens 2 with a strong business bent," 24 Feb. 2019 Williams and the duchess reportedly first met in 2010 during the Super Bowl in Miami and later competed at the DirectTV Celebrity Beach Bowl together in 2014. — Erica Gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, "Meghan Markle and Serena Williams Reunite for Dinner in NYC," 20 Feb. 2019 Lawmakers threw out May’s Brexit deal two weeks ago and will debate and vote Tuesday on competing plans for what to do next. — Danica Kirka, The Seattle Times, "UK leader under new pressure to secure EU Brexit concessions," 29 Jan. 2019 The company has been spending to capture new users for its apps and platforms to compete with popular services like Bytedance Ltd.’s Jinri Toutiao news-aggregation app and Douyin short video app. — Maria Armental, WSJ, "Baidu Forecasts Weaker Growth as Chinese Economy Slows," 22 Feb. 2019 Alex has her eyes set on Josh, who works at the resort, but has to compete with Brianna, a spoiled rich teen who also has a crush on him. — De Elizabeth, Teen Vogue, "Which Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen Movie You Should Watch According to Your Zodiac Sign," 2 Jan. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'compete.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries near compete

Statistics for compete

Last Updated

26 Mar 2019

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Time Traveler for compete

The first known use of compete was in 1620

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More Definitions for compete

compete

verb

English Language Learners Definition of compete

: to try to get or win something (such as a prize or reward) that someone else is also trying to win : to try to be better or more successful than someone or something else

: to try to be noticed, accepted, or chosen over something else

See the full definition for compete in the English Language Learners Dictionary

compete

verb

com·pete | \ kəm-ˈpēt

competed; competing