compete

Pronunciation

• IPA ^(key): /kəm.ˈpiːt/

• Audio (UK)

  (file)

Verb

Plain form compete

Third-person singular competes

Past tense competed

Past participle competed

Present participle competing

1. (intransitive) If you compete for something, you are working against other people to get it.

   He competed but failed to win a medal in the 1928 Olympics in Amsterdam.

   Is it a good idea to allow female athletes to compete in male high school athletic events?

   East Asian countries are successfully competing against Japanese goods around the world.

   The better teams compete against good teams while poorer teams compete with each other.

   Health insurance companies have started competing to offer plans for both individuals and families.

   Their specific products differ and do not directly compete with each other.

   The Prime Minister said, "this change doesn't have any big impact on our ability to compete with Germany or Japan."

Related words

• competitive
• competitively
• competitiveness
• competitor
• uncompetitive
• uncompetitiveness