competition

noun

ˌkäm-pə-ˈti-shən How to pronounce competition (audio)
Definition of competitionnext
1
as in tournament
a competitive encounter between individuals or groups carried on for amusement, exercise, or in pursuit of a prize a competition between two fierce football rivals

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in contestant
one who strives for the same thing as another tried to analyze his major competition in the tennis tournament

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in rivalry
an earnest effort for superiority or victory over another the intense competition for bragging rights to being the city's best French restaurant

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 competition In addition to learning a new scheme and getting acclimated to a much tougher level of competition, Craig was also without his two starting outside receivers, Jordan Dwyer and Dozie Ezukanma, against the Tar Heels. — Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Sep. 2026 Additionally, Volkswagen has faced fierce competition from Chinese rivals as domestic manufacturers such as BYD and Geely gained ground in electric vehicles and challenged its longstanding position in the market. — Sawdah Bhaimiya, CNBC, 4 Sep. 2026 The letter asked for the current process to be canceled and for the district to start a new competition. — Andrew Khouri, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026 Norwich and Wrexham both are expected to be contenders this season to earn promotion to the Premier League, the world’s most valuable club soccer competition. — ABC News, 3 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for competition
Recent Examples of Synonyms for competition
  1. tournament
  2. contestant
  3. rivalry
  4. event
  5. competitor
  6. battle
  7. game
  8. contender
Noun
  • Player of the Week Senior outside hitter Quinn Grevengoed tallies 92 kills and 15 aces in seven matches and then is named MVP for host Chicago Christian as Knights take tournament title for first time since 2014.
    — Jeff Vorva, Chicago Tribune, 1 Sep. 2026
  • On the flipside, three other golfers with ties to Baltimore — Phil Fairbanks of Columbia, Tom Winegardner of Lothian and Richard Sovero of Catonsville — fell outside of the Top 64, ending their stay in the tournament.
    — Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of tournament
Noun
  • Chuangsri won out of a field of 108 contestants in the pageant, which last year was held in India’s southern Hyderabad city.
    — Tabitha Parent, PEOPLE, 5 Sep. 2026
  • The contestants will have to design a wedding dress that showcases their style, and the winning design will be produced and sold by David’s Bridal.
    — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of contestant
Noun
  • The Boot Bowl rivalry, which began in 2012, doesn’t have the longest history, but for fans in Burleson, few events bring the town together quite like it.
    — Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Duane Davis guilty in murder of Tupac Shakur Nearly 30 years after Tupac Shakur was murdered in Las Vegas, a jury has provided some closure in the saga of rivalry, revenge and retribution in the hip-hop world.
    — Robert Abitbol, USA Today, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of rivalry
Noun
  • August's payrolls report, out Friday, will be the main event for economic data.
    — Leonie Kidd, CNBC, 3 Sep. 2026
  • At one of the first promotional events, Bullock briefly chatted about her time on the Miss Congeniality franchise.
    — Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of event
Noun
  • The only difference is that, after this race, some of the competitors collapsed to the floor with sparks flying from their insides while safety officials charged over to attend to them with fire extinguishers.
    — Sarah Shephard, New York Times, 1 Sep. 2026
  • The remaining 30% of the settlement value is contingent on Meta’s competitors, YouTube and TikTok, agreeing to similar design changes and payments.
    — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of competitor
Noun
  • Don’t shrink to avoid disagreement, but don’t make everything a battle for control either.
    — Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 7 Sep. 2026
  • Mustafa, who was born in Iraqi Kurdistan and fled to Norway as a child, said the film was inspired by his encounter with a female Peshmerga sniper during the 2014 frontline battles, as female Kurdish fighters countered Islamic State attacks.
    — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of battle
Noun
  • The team hoped undrafted second-year player Tyler Batty could contribute, too, but Batty tore his ACL last Friday in the team’s final preseason game against the Denver Broncos.
    — Alec Lewis, New York Times, 2 Sep. 2026
  • The game, originally scheduled for last Friday, was full of yellow flags.
    — Chris Hays, The Orlando Sentinel, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of game
Noun
  • Most of the major categories come down to two or three contenders.
    — Britina Cheng, Vulture, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Norwich and Wrexham both are expected to be contenders this season to earn promotion to the Premier League, the world’s most valuable club soccer competition.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of contender

Browse Nearby Words

competing
competition
competitions
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Cite this Entry

“Competition.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/competition. Accessed 8 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on competition

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about competition

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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