compete

verb

com·​pete kəm-ˈpēt How to pronounce compete (audio)
competed; competing
Synonyms of compete

intransitive verb

: to strive consciously or unconsciously for an objective (such as position, profit, or a prize) : be in a state of rivalry
competing teams
companies competing for customers

Synonyms of compete

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of compete in a Sentence

Thousands of applicants are competing for the same job. She competed against students from around the country. We are competing with companies that are twice our size. Did you compete in the track meet on Saturday? The radio and the television were both on, competing for our attention.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Only recently did Spain open its rail network to private companies to compete against Renfe. — Joseph Wilson, Arkansas Online, 29 Oct. 2026 That has made only minor progress toward Amazon’s effort to build out a broadband constellation to compete with SpaceX’s Starlink. — Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Oct. 2026 Subsidizing these slots would allow smaller institutions, such as academia and nonprofit organizations, to avoid competing on the open market against large companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin that launch satellites regularly. — Mojtaba Akhavan-Tafti, The Conversation, 28 Oct. 2026 Television is flooded with endless ads for competing Medicare plans with celebrity spokespeople and sweeping promises. — Jeffrey I. Cole, Fortune, 28 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for compete

Word History

Etymology

Late Latin competere to seek together, from Latin, to come together, agree, be suitable, from com- + petere to go to, seek — more at feather

First Known Use

1620, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of compete was in 1620

Phrases Containing compete

Rhymes for compete

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Browse Nearby Words

compesce
compete
competence
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Cite this Entry

“Compete.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/compete. Accessed 1 Nov. 2026.

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Kids Definition

compete

verb
com·​pete kəm-ˈpēt How to pronounce compete (audio)
competed; competing
: to strive for something (as a prize or reward) for which another is also striving : contest
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