competition

noun

com·​pe·​ti·​tion ˌkäm-pə-ˈti-shən 

1

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

a

: 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

b

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

the interspecies competition for food

2

: a contest between rivals

a gymnastics competition

also : one's competitors

faced tough competition

Synonyms of competition

• tournament
• event
• game
• contest
• match

Examples of competition in a Sentence

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

The revelation of the changes comes amid intense competition in the AI industry, as companies release updates to their large language models at a frenetic pace, each seeking to pull ahead of the other. — Emily Forlini, Fortune, 5 Sep. 2026

Consumer prices rose anyway, because without competition, Amazon could charge more in the long run. — Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 4 Sep. 2026

The pair have each competed in two Olympics and two World Cups, and Wilson has been the Americans’ leading scorer at the last three major international competitions. — Sabreena Merchant, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026

Gelateria Badiani Originally opened in 1932, this historic gelateria invented the Buontalenti flavor during a competition in the 1960s. — Laura Itzkowitz, Vogue, 4 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

1579, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing competition

• in competition with
• the competition

Rhymes for competition

• abolition
• acquisition
• admonition
• ammunition
• apparition
• apposition
• coalition
• composition
• definition
• deglutition
• demolition
• deposition

Kids Definition

competition

noun

com·​pe·​ti·​tion ˌkäm-pə-ˈtish-ən 

1

: the act or process of competing

2

a

: a contest between rivals

b

: rivalry

c

: an individual or group one is competing against

look over the competition

3

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

4

: 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