competition

noun

com·pe·ti·tion ˌkäm-pə-ˈti-shən

: the act or process of competing : rivalry: such as

: the effort of two or more parties acting independently to secure the business of a third party by offering the most favorable terms

contractors in competition for the contract to build the new school

: active demand by two or more organisms or kinds of organisms for some environmental resource in short supply

the interspecies competition for food

: a contest between rivals

a gymnastics competition

also : one's competitors

faced tough competition

Example Sentences

Prices are lower when there is competition among the stores. Don't let the competition know our trade secrets. They had a competition to see who could sell the most lemonade.

Recent Examples on the Web Meanwhile, Rivian’s early advantage in the EV space is shrinking, with competition from the likes of GM and Ford growing fiercer by the day.

Peter Valdes-dapena, CNN, 22 Nov. 2022 But 13 reactors have shut down since 2013, often due to competition from lower-cost energy sources such as solar, wind and natural gas.

Sammy Rothstaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 21 Nov. 2022 Jumia faces competition from international companies like Bolt, and Glovo in Africa’s food delivery industry.

Alexander Onukwue, Quartz, 18 Nov. 2022 Florida airports, which fared poorly overall due to congested airspace, had the lowest ticket prices due to intense competition from budget carriers like Spirit Airlines Inc.

Dawn Gilbertson, WSJ, 17 Nov. 2022 Meta reported a second consecutive quarter of declining sales last month, as the company contends with a widespread drop in online ad spending and rising competition from TikTok.

Max Zahn, ABC News, 16 Nov. 2022 While some developers said the increasing competition from investors was pricing them out of the market, Walsh said Baltimore still was a good deal and said his strategy was simple.

Giacomo Bologna, Baltimore Sun, 15 Nov. 2022 But the system could end up facing competition from SpaceX and Apple, which are working on their own satellite cellular connectivity services.

PCMAG, 14 Nov. 2022 Facing stiff competition from the MLB World Series, last week’s broadcast of AEW Dynamite was up down with 911,000 viewers.

Alfred Konuwa, Forbes, 10 Nov. 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'competition.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Word History

Etymology

Late Latin competition-, competitio, from Latin competere — see compete

First Known Use

1579, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of competition was in 1579

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Competition.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/competition. Accessed 1 Dec. 2022.

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Kids Definition

competition

noun

com·pe·ti·tion ˌkäm-pə-ˈtish-ən

: the act or process of competing

: a contest between rivals

: rivalry

: an individual or group one is competing against

look over the competition

: the effort of persons or firms to attract business by offering the most favorable terms

: the active seeking after and use of an environmental resource (as food) in limited supply by two or more plants or animals or kinds of plants and animals