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.
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
as in contending
to engage in a contest
prizefighters competing for the world heavyweight championship
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 competing
Michael T. Nietzel, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 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
Everybody's always looking, curious, competing and that's a really difficult thing, especially for a female actor.
—Christina Dugan Ramirez, FOXNews.com, 31 July 2025
Anne was a remarkable person and culinary talent — teaching, competing and always sharing the importance of food in her life and the joy that a delicious meal can bring.
—Nick Caruso, TVLine, 29 July 2025
However, competing service providers like AT&T fiber internet often offer faster speeds, unlimited data, fewer fees and longer price guarantees for just a bit more per month.
—Kara McGinley, USA Today, 4 July 2025
Since launching strikes on three nuclear facilities in Iran on Saturday, competing reports have emerged on how significant the damage is.
—Miriam Waldvogel, The Hill, 27 June 2025
Anne was a remarkable person and culinary talent—teaching, competing and always sharing the importance of food in her life and the joy that a delicious meal can bring.
—Megan Cartwright, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 June 2025
Bloomberg/Bloomberg via Getty Images/Bloomberg During a combative House committee hearing on immigration policy Thursday, Republicans and Democrats offered competing portraits of a United States under siege.
—Brian Mann, NPR, 12 June 2025
Daniel Popper, New York Times, 5 Nov. 2025
With traditional entertainment, games, TikTok, GenAI, and more competing for fans’ attention, audiences seem more saturated than ever before.
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 4 Nov. 2025
Every weekday since April, the models have spent hours together in the village, collaborating and competing on a range of tasks, from taking personality tests to ending global poverty.
—Tharin Pillay, Time, 4 Nov. 2025
The emotional toll came as Spiranac was competing in The Internet Invitational, a Ryder Cup-style golf event hosted by Barstool Sports and Bob Does Sports.
—Devlina Sarkar, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2025
Maile Hunt, Tarin Kilcoyne and Emma Peasley will be competing for the Teen Miss Ramona crown.
—Regina Elling, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Nov. 2025
On December 1, the tree lighting ceremony at McAdenville Lake features a giant switch to illuminate the main tree, with local schoolchildren competing for the honor of flipping the switch.
—Shameika Rhymes, USA Today, 4 Nov. 2025
Thompson is an American mixed martial artist and former kickboxing world champion, currently competing in the UFC’s welterweight division.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 4 Nov. 2025
Republican Matt Van Epps and Democrat Aftyn Behn are competing in a special election for Tennessee's 7th Congressional District.
—Vivian Jones, Nashville Tennessean, 4 Nov. 2025
Adjective
The Department intends to stop funding both 2025 new awards and non-competing continuations for these seven grant programs.
—Michael T. Nietzel, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 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
Everybody's always looking, curious, competing and that's a really difficult thing, especially for a female actor.
—Christina Dugan Ramirez, FOXNews.com, 31 July 2025
Anne was a remarkable person and culinary talent — teaching, competing and always sharing the importance of food in her life and the joy that a delicious meal can bring.
—Nick Caruso, TVLine, 29 July 2025
However, competing service providers like AT&T fiber internet often offer faster speeds, unlimited data, fewer fees and longer price guarantees for just a bit more per month.
—Kara McGinley, USA Today, 4 July 2025
Since launching strikes on three nuclear facilities in Iran on Saturday, competing reports have emerged on how significant the damage is.
—Miriam Waldvogel, The Hill, 27 June 2025
Anne was a remarkable person and culinary talent—teaching, competing and always sharing the importance of food in her life and the joy that a delicious meal can bring.
—Megan Cartwright, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 June 2025
Bloomberg/Bloomberg via Getty Images/Bloomberg During a combative House committee hearing on immigration policy Thursday, Republicans and Democrats offered competing portraits of a United States under siege.
—Brian Mann, NPR, 12 June 2025
Verb
To rebuild the ceiling — the realistic hope of actually competing for a Super Bowl — the Chargers will have to wait until next year, when Slater and Alt return.
—Daniel Popper, New York Times, 5 Nov. 2025
With traditional entertainment, games, TikTok, GenAI, and more competing for fans’ attention, audiences seem more saturated than ever before.
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 4 Nov. 2025
Every weekday since April, the models have spent hours together in the village, collaborating and competing on a range of tasks, from taking personality tests to ending global poverty.
—Tharin Pillay, Time, 4 Nov. 2025
The emotional toll came as Spiranac was competing in The Internet Invitational, a Ryder Cup-style golf event hosted by Barstool Sports and Bob Does Sports.
—Devlina Sarkar, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2025
Maile Hunt, Tarin Kilcoyne and Emma Peasley will be competing for the Teen Miss Ramona crown.
—Regina Elling, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Nov. 2025
On December 1, the tree lighting ceremony at McAdenville Lake features a giant switch to illuminate the main tree, with local schoolchildren competing for the honor of flipping the switch.
—Shameika Rhymes, USA Today, 4 Nov. 2025
Thompson is an American mixed martial artist and former kickboxing world champion, currently competing in the UFC’s welterweight division.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 4 Nov. 2025
Republican Matt Van Epps and Democrat Aftyn Behn are competing in a special election for Tennessee's 7th Congressional District.
—Vivian Jones, Nashville Tennessean, 4 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for competing
Adjective
-
This is the random bunch of misfits Courteney will have to transform into a team competitive enough to make it to nationals, and that will surely start to form one big family along the way.—
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Nov. 2025
-
The two bonded over their mutual love for Atlanta and its vibrant culture before Trae and Quavo faced off in a friendly yet competitive game of HORSE on the basketball court.—
Mackenzie Cummings-Grady,
Billboard,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
His extraordinary journey from utter isolation to human connection is revealed in the Oscar-contending documentary Ghost Boy, directed by Rodney Ascher (Room 237, A Glitch in the Matrix), winner of the Audience Award at SXSW in the Visions category.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
7 Nov. 2025
-
But the tariffs spooked American businesses, prompting a court challenge, contending that the president had exceeded his authority in imposing the tariffs.—
Nina Totenberg,
NPR,
5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
As Elizabeth’s long reign wore on, so most of the rival claimants fell by the wayside, either through natural death, disinheritance or execution.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
4 Nov. 2025
-
The clash reflects the shifting landscape for blockbuster weight loss and diabetes drugs, with veteran Novo Nordisk now trailing rival Eli Lilly as other companies like Pfizer race to break in.—
Annika Kim Constantino,
CNBC,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Even a small showing of functional toughness from Tyler Kleven, fighting Joe Veleno after a thunderous check on Canadiens defenceman Alexandre Carrier, proved to be somewhat ill-advised.—
Julian McKenzie,
New York Times,
2 Nov. 2025
-
Learning to trust someone who hurt her so deeply again, especially when pesky romantic feelings won’t stop fighting to the surface.—
Brittany Johnson,
PEOPLE,
2 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Bring along a non-driving guest to enjoy the hotel part of the program for $350.—
Robb Report Studio,
Robb Report,
9 Sep. 2025
-
New Jersey, ranking third, also has strict driving laws and the third-most driving schools per capita.—
Jasmine Laws,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Learn about the town's horse-racing history.—
Cat Sposato,
Travel + Leisure,
4 Nov. 2025
-
That's why, even though the comet poses no threat to Earth, the world's astronomers and space agencies are racing to study planetary material that formed from another star.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
3 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
In Beijing, she was hustling from the get go, first helping a sister who had a mobile phone stall in an underground mall, and later running a shop of her own.—
John Ruwitch,
NPR,
30 Oct. 2025
-
India was waiting for a game show that matched its hustling fin-de-siècle ethos, marking an irreversible break from the socialist values that had defined its first few decades as an independent nation.—
Snigdha Poonam,
The Dial,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Strawberry and Doc Gooden have notoriously been tied together due to their immense talent while playing for the Mets while battling drug and alcohol abuse.—
Ryan Morik,
FOXNews.com,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Summit kept battling behind Gebhardt, the running back turned quarterback.—
Cody Thorn,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
7 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Competing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/competing. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share