competed

verb

past tense of compete
as in contended
to engage in a contest prizefighters competing for the world heavyweight championship

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 competed The unit competed well enough in losses to Ohio State and Oregon last season, too. — The Athletic College Football Staff, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026 All three daughters have competed on the dance team at no cost, with the two oldest becoming team captains and student leaders. — Francesca Pinney, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2026 Jurors concluded that if NFL teams competed with one another in broadcasting deals, fans would reap the benefits of that competition. — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 8 Sep. 2026 Canada’s national soccer team competed during the tournament’s early weeks, giving some Canadians a reason to head south. — Rio Yamat, Fortune, 6 Sep. 2026 Haslet Eaton looks strong Haslet Eaton competed well in Week 1, losing to Class 5A power Denton Ryan by 3 points. — Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Sep. 2026 The latter competed at the festival and earned its star Charlotte Rampling the Volpi Cup for best actress. — Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 5 Sep. 2026 Her brother and former pro, Derek Hough, also competed as a pro for nearly 10 years, winning the Mirrorball Trophy six times, before transitioning to becoming a judge in 2020. — Liza Esquibias, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2026 The Inter-City Beauties competed along with hundreds of other women. — Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 31 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for competed
  1. contended
  2. raced
  3. fought
  4. battled
  5. vied
Verb
  • The administration has contended the changes are relatively minor and legal.
    — Nicholas Riccardi, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026
  • In its counterarguments, Google contended would be unduly harsh to break up a complex network that distributes ads that online publishers depend upon to help finance digital services used by millions of consumers.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of contended
Verb
  • In New York City, Special Agents Tom Armas and John Buckley -- who were at the New York Field Office at 7 World Trade Center for the annual UN General Assembly briefing -- raced into the North Tower.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 8 Sep. 2026
  • The disclosure is expected to give the public a better understanding of how the city responded following the collapse of the World Trade Center as officials raced to restabilize Lower Manhattan and reopen the area.
    — Gloria Pazmino, CNN Money, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of raced
Verb
  • The latest reminder came 42 minutes into Thursday’s hearing in a Louisiana district court in which more than 30 athletes fought to be included within the NCAA rule change that effectively gave every athlete five years to play five seasons.
    — Matt Baker, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
  • In an address late Thursday, Milei reasserted Argentina’s claim to the islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, which the United Kingdom has controlled since 1833 and over which the two countries fought a war in the early 1980s.
    — Laura Sharman, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of fought
Verb
  • Golden battled injuries, but his rookie year fell well short of everyone’s expectations anyway.
    — Matt Schneidman, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2026
  • Firefighters in South Fulton battled a large fire at a warehouse complex near Union City, with a blaze that reached two-alarm status Sunday but was contained within a few hours.
    — Henri Hollis, AJC.com, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of battled
Verb
  • Fifty-one contestants — one representative from each of the 50 states, plus the District of Columbia — vied for the crown.
    — Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Just a few days earlier at Palazzo Brancaccio, the ladies of the Roman aristocracy had vied to appear in the ballroom scenes, perhaps hoping to meet Gregory Peck.
    — Daria Egidi, Vanity Fair, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of vied

Browse Nearby Words

compete
competed
competence
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Competed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/competed. Accessed 10 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of loath

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All