competition
Americannoun
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the act of competing; rivalry for supremacy, a prize, etc..
The competition between the two teams was bitter.
- Synonyms:
- emulation
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a contest for some prize, honor, or advantage.
Both girls entered the competition.
- Synonyms:
- struggle
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the rivalry offered by a competitor.
The small merchant gets powerful competition from the chain stores.
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a competitor or competitors.
What is your competition offering?
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Sociology. rivalry between two or more persons or groups for an object desired in common, usually resulting in a victor and a loser but not necessarily involving the destruction of the latter.
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Ecology. the struggle among organisms, both of the same and of different species, for food, space, and other vital requirements.
noun
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the act of competing; rivalry
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a contest in which a winner is selected from among two or more entrants
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a series of games, sports events, etc
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the opposition offered by a competitor or competitors
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a competitor or competitors offering opposition
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ecology the struggle between individuals of the same or different species for food, space, light, etc, when these are inadequate to supply the needs of all
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of competition
First recorded in 1595–1605; from Late Latin competītiōn-, stem of competītiō “agreement, rivalry,” from competīt(us) “agreed, met” (past participle of competere “to agree, come together, meet”; see compete ( def. )) + -iō -ion; sense influenced by competitor
Explanation
If you are trying to win or attempting to prove you're the best, you're in a competition. The word also describes your opponent in sports, business, and politics. If you're trying to beat out someone else — whether in the Olympics or a pie-baking contest — it's a competition, and the other contestants are called the competition too. If you describe something as a "friendly competition," you're saying the outcome isn't critical, or there's no money involved. If you do something impressive in order to win, people will say competition brings out the best in you. If you try to injure your opponent, they'll say it brings out the worst.
Vocabulary lists containing competition
List 1
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The Industrial Revolution - Introductory
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Life Science: Ecosystems
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Apple has competition on raw volume, representing one in five of the roughly 1.3 billion smartphones shipped last year.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 20, 2026
She will provide stiff competition for current number one Elene Lete, as well as bringing a wealth of experience and knowledge of the league.
From BBC • Jun. 19, 2026
Warsh voiced openness to private data, a sensible complement to government statistics that arrive late, are heavily revised and crowd out competition and innovation.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 19, 2026
“Yes, it’s a competition, but it’s also when nations come together for friendship and to exchange culture,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 19, 2026
One loaf, and she was a shoo-in for the baker’s job, though I suspect she may have knocked out the competition with some hocus-pocus, too, if rumors are to be believed.”
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
