as in competitive
having or marked by a strong desire to win or be better than others
The competing salespeople were all trying to lure the same customers.
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Dissimilar Words
as in contending
to engage in a contest
prizefighters competing for the world heavyweight championship
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of competing
Todd Boss, Forbes.com, 15 May 2026
Establishing an entirely new and competing agency is merely the pursuit of a bureaucratic gravy train, and providing it with incentives to abuse power in order to boost its own coffers is an invitation to tyranny.
—Adam Summers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Apr. 2026
No more competing Monday night windows.
—Rowan Fisher-Shotton, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026
Truth is a public good Politics is not a seminar in absolute clarity, and competing claims are always part of the process.
—Stephanie A, The Conversation, 27 Jan. 2026
Like the Joker, O’Leary tends to give competing origin stories for his nickname.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 2 Jan. 2026
In comparison, Paramount Skydance, with its hostile and competing bid for WBD, saw its stock rise just over 29 percent so far in 2025 after closing at $13.50 on Dec. 29.
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 29 Dec. 2025
Colorado River Compact figures no longer add up As always, the crux of this fight goes back to the Colorado River Compact and competing theories about how its flawed predictions of available water should be overcome.
—Brandon Loomis, AZCentral.com, 18 Dec. 2025
Men’s singles champion Jannik Sinner of Italy and women’s singles champion Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus return to defend their titles, along with American tennis stars Coco Gauff, Ben Shelton, Frances Tiafoe, Taylor Fritz, Madison Keys and more competing.
—Julia Teti, Footwear News, 25 Aug. 2025
Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 4 June 2026
As part of our Language of Soccer World Cup series, The Athletic is speaking to supporters of all 48 nations competing at the 2026 edition to capture their unique football culture, distilled into a single phrase.
—Paul Tenorio, New York Times, 3 June 2026
Moreover, the turmoil has become a top news story in itself, with competing narratives flying — none of them flattering to CBS News.
—ABC News, 3 June 2026
In 2026, these competing narratives are at war with each other once again.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 3 June 2026
However, because only two candidates are competing in this nonpartisan race, whoever prevails in the final, certified vote will likely win the seat outright, succeeding Mark Church – who has held the Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder post since 2011 – when the new term begins in January.
—Ryan MacAsero, Mercury News, 3 June 2026
Incredibly, this is just Chwalińska’s third time competing in a grand slam main draw, with her first attempt coming back at Wimbledon 2022.
—Ben Church, CNN Money, 3 June 2026
Someone with strong fluid intelligence would be able to juggle multiple competing pieces of information, revise their approach if necessary mid-task, while also keeping track of shifting variables without losing direction.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026
Kushi Gottimukkala of Morrisville, North Carolina, is one of a few spellers competing this year who know what that feels like.
—Ben Nuckols, Fortune, 27 May 2026
Adjective
From the non-competing tier, there’s a few teams who absolutely spent in the 2026 draft, no shade here.
—Todd Boss, Forbes.com, 15 May 2026
Establishing an entirely new and competing agency is merely the pursuit of a bureaucratic gravy train, and providing it with incentives to abuse power in order to boost its own coffers is an invitation to tyranny.
—Adam Summers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Apr. 2026
No more competing Monday night windows.
—Rowan Fisher-Shotton, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026
Truth is a public good Politics is not a seminar in absolute clarity, and competing claims are always part of the process.
—Stephanie A, The Conversation, 27 Jan. 2026
Like the Joker, O’Leary tends to give competing origin stories for his nickname.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 2 Jan. 2026
In comparison, Paramount Skydance, with its hostile and competing bid for WBD, saw its stock rise just over 29 percent so far in 2025 after closing at $13.50 on Dec. 29.
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 29 Dec. 2025
Colorado River Compact figures no longer add up As always, the crux of this fight goes back to the Colorado River Compact and competing theories about how its flawed predictions of available water should be overcome.
—Brandon Loomis, AZCentral.com, 18 Dec. 2025
Men’s singles champion Jannik Sinner of Italy and women’s singles champion Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus return to defend their titles, along with American tennis stars Coco Gauff, Ben Shelton, Frances Tiafoe, Taylor Fritz, Madison Keys and more competing.
—Julia Teti, Footwear News, 25 Aug. 2025
Verb
Now, though, NIL offers teams like Indiana and Texas Tech a quick path to competing at a national level.
—Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 4 June 2026
As part of our Language of Soccer World Cup series, The Athletic is speaking to supporters of all 48 nations competing at the 2026 edition to capture their unique football culture, distilled into a single phrase.
—Paul Tenorio, New York Times, 3 June 2026
Moreover, the turmoil has become a top news story in itself, with competing narratives flying — none of them flattering to CBS News.
—ABC News, 3 June 2026
In 2026, these competing narratives are at war with each other once again.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 3 June 2026
However, because only two candidates are competing in this nonpartisan race, whoever prevails in the final, certified vote will likely win the seat outright, succeeding Mark Church – who has held the Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder post since 2011 – when the new term begins in January.
—Ryan MacAsero, Mercury News, 3 June 2026
Incredibly, this is just Chwalińska’s third time competing in a grand slam main draw, with her first attempt coming back at Wimbledon 2022.
—Ben Church, CNN Money, 3 June 2026
Someone with strong fluid intelligence would be able to juggle multiple competing pieces of information, revise their approach if necessary mid-task, while also keeping track of shifting variables without losing direction.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026
Kushi Gottimukkala of Morrisville, North Carolina, is one of a few spellers competing this year who know what that feels like.
—Ben Nuckols, Fortune, 27 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for competing
Adjective
-
Strategic shakeup Usually buying and selling is a cop out, but with where the Red Sox are in their competitive cycle the approach might make some sense.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
31 May 2026
-
Meanwhile, chips must still be replaced every few years simply to remain cost-competitive, compounding demand pressure from both ends.—
Rakesh Kumar,
Fortune,
30 May 2026
Verb
-
In court, the city had argued for a much smaller damages award, contending some members of the plaintiff class paid their citations so late that proper notification by the city wouldn’t have mattered.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
30 May 2026
-
However, some scientists, including climate scientist James Hansen, say the heat and the warming ocean temperatures could leave 2026 contending for the new warmest year on record.—
Dinah Voyles Pulver,
USA Today,
29 May 2026
Adjective
-
In a single incident in February 2025, more than 20 people were killed when rival groups clashed near the Ethiopian border.—
Tommy Trenchard,
NPR,
31 May 2026
-
The challenge of winning, over and over, as rival teams curate counters.—
Joel Lorenzi,
New York Times,
31 May 2026
Verb
-
Now, Troiano said, his organization is focused on fighting bills in about a dozen states that would close party primaries to independent voters.—
Eric McDaniel,
NPR,
30 May 2026
-
The Hema and Lendu ethnic groups have been fighting over land and minerals in the gold-rich province of Ituri since the Second Congo War in the late 1990s and early 2000s.—
Mary Whitfill Roeloffs,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2026
Adjective
-
The driver was also placed on a non-driving status pending the results of the investigation.—
Carlos E. Castañeda,
CBS News,
24 Mar. 2026
-
Nor will this anti-driving VMT policy meaningfully affect the global climate.—
Jennifer Hernandez,
Washington Post,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Encord practices, records and sells data about movement to the companies racing to bring humanoids to homes, offices and factories.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
31 May 2026
-
Overcast conditions remained through the morning while Formula 1 cars, GT vehicles and racing sedans had their opportunities to run the track.—
Camila Pedrosa,
Sacbee.com,
31 May 2026
Adjective
-
Others of you may be hustling to pay off — or gain — large amounts of capital.—
Kyle Thomas,
PEOPLE,
24 May 2026
-
But a social media user shared a video of Bryant inside that restroom Wednesday, hustling to wash his hands at the sink amid a group of fans, presumably before rejoining his team on the bench.—
Dan Woike,
New York Times,
22 May 2026
Verb
-
The Dawgs are battling Rutgers, Kansas, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest for his commitment at this time.—
Jeff Sentell,
AJC.com,
29 May 2026
-
Race-car drivers compete against opponents while simultaneously battling physics, speed, exhaustion and the possibility of catastrophe.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
29 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Competing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/competing. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
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