outcompete

verb out·com·pete \ ˌau̇t-kəm-ˈpēt \

|Updated on: 10 Jun 2018

Definition of outcompete

outcompeted; outcompeting

transitive verb

: to defeat, outdo, or displace by competing more effectively or aggressively

rival teams trying to outcompete one another

… one popular theory holds that dinosaurs outcompeted rival groups in their rise to world domination.
—Kate Wong

Recent Examples of outcompete from the Web

Whether voters in the midst of a boom move left or right, many residents say the strains of change are deep, as farms and ranches on the city’s edge get chewed up into housing, and high-wage tech workers outcompete the locals.

— kirk johnson, the new york times, idahostatesman, "As Idaho grows, its politics evolve. But don't expect a Democratic surge. | Idaho Statesman," 14 May 2018
Whether voters in the midst of a boom move left or right, many residents say the strains of change are deep, as farms and ranches on the city’s edge get chewed up into housing, and high-wage tech workers outcompete the locals.

— kirk johnson, the new york times, idahostatesman, "As Idaho grows, its politics evolve. But don't expect a Democratic surge. | Idaho Statesman," 14 May 2018
Whether voters in the midst of a boom move left or right, many residents say the strains of change are deep, as farms and ranches on the city’s edge get chewed up into housing, and high-wage tech workers outcompete the locals.

— New York Times, "What the Fastest Growth in the U.S. Means for Idaho Politics," 13 May 2018
By comparing these brains with an average human brain, the authors suggest that different ways of processing information may have helped humans outcompete their hominid cousins.

— deborah netburn, latimes.com, "The shape, not size, of our ancestors' brains may have helped them outlast Neanderthals," 27 Apr. 2018
In a Darwinian process, the cells must outcompete the far more numerous precursor B cells that can mature into those making ineffective antibodies.

— bradley j. fikes, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Powerful HIV-neutralizing response possible in most people, study by San Diego researchers finds," 14 Jan. 2018
Charles Darwin was perhaps the first to posit the idea that introduced species might outcompete natives.

— amy crawford, Smithsonian, "Why We Should Rethink How We Talk About “Alien” Species," 9 Jan. 2018
Other algae prefer cooler temperatures, so when waters get warm enough, cyanobacteria begin to outcompete them and take over large areas.

— emily matchar, Smithsonian, "Underwater Robot Labs Monitor Toxins," 10 Aug. 2017
Cancer cells outcompete normal cooperative cells, and evolution takes it from there.

— athena aktipis, Slate Magazine, "Why Cancer Isn’t Going Anywhere," 20 Apr. 2017

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

First Known Use of outcompete

1889

in the meaning defined above

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outcompete

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