compete

verb

kəm-ˈpēt How to pronounce compete (audio)
Definition of competenext
as in to contend
to engage in a contest prizefighters competing for the world heavyweight championship

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of compete Meta at one point had one of the more popular open-weight models, called Llama, but late last year started focusing on developing its own closed-source model called Spark to compete with the most advanced models from OpenAI and Anthropic. — Lisa Eadicicco, CNN Money, 10 Aug. 2026 As competing ambitions take hold across the village, tensions rise and unrest erupts, forcing Ugandan military forces to intervene. — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 10 Aug. 2026 Back in the early aughts, former Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda wanted to show his company could hand-build a high-performance vehicle that could compete with the very best coming out of Germany and Italy. — Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 10 Aug. 2026 The Market and industry platforms, access to TIFF’s digital meeting tools and the chance to compete for a range of industry awards. — Diana Lodderhose, Deadline, 10 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for compete
Recent Examples of Synonyms for compete
  1. contend
  2. race
  3. fight
  4. battle
Verb
  • The year 1933, Arendt contended, marked the close of the age of bourgeois emancipation and Jewish liberation, which brought an end to a feeling of security in the West and signaled that the new sense of security in the East was a pipe dream.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 12 Aug. 2026
  • As such, the casino company contends hitting the brakes on the hotel and nongaming construction is covered by the host agreement that the city itself may be violating with the potential imminent launch of VGTs.
    — Robert Channick, Chicago Tribune, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of contend
Verb
  • With France experiencing its driest year ever, a new fire raced through woodlands overnight in the Landes region on the southwest coast.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 Aug. 2026
  • On Wednesday afternoon, Alejandro Eder, the mayor of Cali, told reporters that rescue teams continue to find signs of people alive under the rubble and are racing to save them.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of race
Verb
  • The 63-year-old was born in the central city of Esfahan and volunteered to fight in the Iraq-Iran war as a teenager, along with tens of thousands of young Iranians.
    — Tim Lister, CNN Money, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Pathogens are microorganisms known to cause numerous diseases in their host, meaning Bifidobacterium animalis may help fight certain diseases.
    — BestReviews, Chicago Tribune, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of fight
Verb
  • Polanco, who has battled an Achilles tendon issue all season, hasn’t played first base since the season’s opening series.
    — Will Sammon, New York Times, 15 Aug. 2026
  • The show’s cast and crew stopped by San Diego Comic-Con in July to release the first few minutes of Season 3, which opened with Thalia Grace battling a monster.
    — Tanya Fedak, Variety, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of battle

Browse Nearby Words

compensations
compete
competed
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Compete.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/compete. Accessed 17 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on compete

Nglish: Translation of compete for Spanish Speakers

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