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

• bout
• contest
• event
• game
• match
• matchup
• meet
• sweepstakes
• sweep-stake
• tournament
• tourney

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

There’s much less competition for payment options at physical locations versus online, where checkout pages are crowded with buttons ranging from buy-now, pay-later providers to PayPal and Apple Pay. —Jeff Kauflin, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2024

Starbucks also faces international challengers such as Tim Hortons, Costa Coffee, McDonald’s and KFC. watch now A Starbucks edge Despite the fierce Chinese competition, Starbucks still has its fans. —Eunice Yoon, CNBC, 1 Nov. 2024

Of the fest’s 60 films and TV series — which include 32 feature films and documentaries, 14 series and TV movies, and 14 shorts — 59 of the 60 are in competition for the TAFFF Awards, which are handed out in Paris a week after the festival. —Shannon L. Bowen, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Nov. 2024

The author also says that Trump and Epstein had a competition over who would be the first to sleep with the late of Wales. —Ewan Palmer, Newsweek, 1 Nov. 2024

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

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