rivals 1 of 2

plural of rival
1
as in counterparts
one that is equal to another in status, achievement, or value a design that is a rival to any produced by a professional graphic artist

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
3
as in competitors
one who strives for the same thing as another the four cities that are the top rivals for the site of the next Olympic Games

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

rivals

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of rival
as in competes
to engage in a contest two longtime friends who have rivaled for the same things at every stage of their lives

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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 rivals
Noun
The intoxicating pull of the manosphere – the hyper-online community led by men who tout misogynistic definitions of manliness – has given Glass a boisterous brigade of rivals. Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 21 June 2026 But its comfort, confidence, and overall road smoothness equal many of its rivals’ personas. James Raia, Mercury News, 21 June 2026 The bond sale could add further pressure to the bitcoin price, which has suffered as SpaceX and its biggest rivals OpenAI and Anthropic gear up for IPOs of their own. Billy Bambrough, Forbes.com, 21 June 2026 The four minority contractors are rivals turned revolutionizers. Lauren Victory, CBS News, 20 June 2026 Road imperfections are absorbed with composure, wind noise is reasonably controlled, and the cabin feels quieter than many compact rivals. New Atlas, 20 June 2026 There followed a series of European successes (Italy, Spain, Germany, France) before the anguish, for Brazilians, of seeing big South American rivals Argentina win a third world title in Qatar four years ago. Oliver Kay, New York Times, 14 June 2026 Telehealth companies such as Vida Health and its rivals offer lifestyle support so people taking drugs like Wegovy and Zepbound can have the most success on the drugs. Sydney Lupkin, NPR, 14 June 2026 Although two-thirds of those candidates were complete unknowns, four of Pratt’s rivals ran serious campaigns, amassing endorsements and spending significant amounts of money. Los Angeles Times, 13 June 2026
Verb
The room transforms after dinner to the concert area, with a sound stage that rivals the great ones. Moira McCarthy, Boston Herald, 21 June 2026 Made from 90 percent cotton, this soft jumpsuit rivals your favorite pair of pajamas. Caroline Hughes, Travel + Leisure, 20 June 2026 Its interior is notable for its opulence, with a rear-seat experience that rivals the front for comfort and luxury. Charles Singh, USA Today, 18 June 2026 From the flowers surrounding the tables in the garden to the sweeping views through the valley, the experience of waiting for your table with a cocktail in hand rivals the meal itself. Heather Bien, Southern Living, 14 June 2026 While billionaire wealth alone may be hard enough to comprehend, a trillionaire represents a level of wealth that rivals the economic output of the world's biggest nations. Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 12 June 2026 That’s a memory for life, one that rivals a state semifinal game in San Antonio. Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 June 2026 Madrid’s La Liga rivals Barcelona and Atletico Madrid had previously held talks over a move for the 31-year-old midfielder, who is a free agent following his departure from Manchester City. Mario Cortegana, New York Times, 11 June 2026 Longtime rivals the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox faced off to see who would compete in the World Series after the Yankees won in the same matchup the year prior, 4-3. Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 11 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rivals
Noun
  • In an April 9 letter to their downstream counterparts, the governors of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming warned that using water from their smaller reservoirs to bolster Lake Powell risks jobs and tourism in their states.
    Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 26 June 2026
  • Elsewhere, multiple senior bankers at Western lenders argued that the continent’s fragmented financial markets undermined its financial might, at a cost to European startups in the tech and energy sectors that were consequently unable to compete for financing to the extent of US counterparts.
    Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 25 June 2026
Noun
  • In Monday’s annual Homeowners Association board election, president Karl de Borbon is running for a ninth consecutive term against opponents who accuse him of rigging last year’s election and a June 8 vote for a swimming pool deck refurbishment project and a bylaw amendment.
    Linda Robertson, Miami Herald, 22 June 2026
  • But the move enabled Florida to lock in what will be one of the best top-six forward groups in the league, slotting Brady Tkachuck into the left wing spot on the second line alongside center Sam Bennett and right wing Matthew Tkachuk that will cause opponents major headaches.
    Eduardo A. Encina, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 June 2026
Noun
  • With ruthless competitors who will stop at nothing to dethrone and destroy them, the Whitlocks are a blue-collar dynasty at the edge of extinction – and the old king is fighting to hold onto the crown.
    Matt Grobar, Deadline, 23 June 2026
  • Amazon is currently leading the market in consumer trust, with 30 percent of shoppers favoring its AI shopping assistants over competitors such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Walmart.
    Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 23 June 2026
Verb
  • As a result, formal career education increasingly competes with a constant stream of online messages about work, success and the future.
    Matthew Simoneau, The Conversation, 22 June 2026
  • Abbvie’s top immunology drugs include Skyrizi, which competes against Tremfya from Club name Johnson & Johnson .
    Jeff Marks, CNBC, 22 June 2026
Noun
  • Attrition rates among offshore employees can run significantly higher than their onshore equivalents, not because the talent is weaker, but because the employment experience often is.
    William Jones, USA Today, 18 June 2026
  • Radiators and solar arrays can consume 65 to 70 percent of total satellite mass, and space-grade photovoltaics run orders of magnitude more expensive than terrestrial equivalents.
    IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 11 June 2026
Noun
  • The Atlas Lions also frustrated their Scottish foes with their physicality, taking down Christie, McTominay and others with a series of hard challenges that did not draw whistles.
    Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 20 June 2026
  • Sure, Carpenter’s cut-the-ruggers are pizzazzing with their flips and cartwheels, but the Grande gang make formidable dance foes in the Sharks and Jets sense of the word.
    Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline, 19 June 2026
Noun
  • The former Atlanta Braves prospect has accumulated parts of eight major-league seasons while pitching for multiple organizations, giving him valuable experience that contenders often seek during the long grind of a season.
    Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 19 June 2026
  • The final contenders include Norway’s AF Gruppen, France’s Eiffage Génie Civil, and a joint venture between Sweden’s Skanska and Norway’s Vassbakk & Stol.
    Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 19 June 2026
Verb
  • Anthropic has accused the Chinese firm Alibaba of launching the largest attack yet attempting to clone Claude, as China races to match the capabilities of Anthropic’s leading model following Mythos’ release and subsequent restriction from foreign markets.
    Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 25 June 2026
  • Once again, extraordinary wealth is concentrating into fewer hands while technology races ahead faster than society’s moral conscience.
    Tom Debley, Mercury News, 16 June 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Rivals.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rivals. Accessed 26 Jun. 2026.

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