How to Use competent in a Sentence

competent

adjective
  • The defendant was declared competent to stand trial.
  • But not on road against competent teams.
    — Joe Nguyen, Denver Post, 7 Sep. 2025
  • But this isn’t even competent enough to achieve that.
    — Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 14 Apr. 2026
  • More than half that year were found competent to stand trial.
    — Gary Warth, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Oct. 2021
  • That could prove to be a huge problem against a competent team.
    — Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 30 Nov. 2025
  • He is known to be competent but brutal.
    — Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 1 May 2026
  • When women speak more than their peers, they're seen as less competent.
    — Kara Alaimo, CNN, 18 Oct. 2021
  • His case will head to trial if he is later found to be competent.
    — CBS News, 23 June 2026
  • Most of these items are best installed by a competent local shop.
    — Jack Baruth, Popular Mechanics, 6 Sep. 2023
  • Will those same defensemen be competent enough on the back end?
    — Chris Sosa, chicagotribune.com, 23 May 2021
  • Since then, the case was revived last year after he was found competent again.
    — Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 30 Jan. 2026
  • Since then, the case was revived last year after he was found competent again.
    — Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 23 Mar. 2026
  • Bruce did what a competent reporter is supposed to do.
    — Lorraine Ali, Mercury News, 29 Nov. 2025
  • But that doesn’t mean the mouse isn’t a competent daily driver.
    — PCMAG, 7 Nov. 2024
  • Men don’t face the same catch-22s as women (be competent but not bossy!
    — Andrea Bartz, Marie Claire, 21 Nov. 2019
  • Kate has always been a competent sailor and William’s pretty good too.
    — Quinci Legardye, Harper's BAZAAR, 31 July 2022
  • Last week, the judge said Daybell had been made competent and the case could go forward.
    — CBS News, 19 Apr. 2022
  • Look at the most competent and decisive people in your life.
    — Benjamin Todd, CNBC, 27 May 2026
  • The teen's mom says her son has mental problems, but was found competent by the courts despite this.
    — Cameron Knight, The Enquirer, 2 Sep. 2020
  • Recently, the Celtics have been far more competent late in games.
    — Zack Cox, Hartford Courant, 24 Feb. 2025
  • The court said Wycoff, now 52, may be retried if he is found competent.
    — Maura Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 23 Aug. 2021
  • Some kids are ready to start shooting at a very early age, and some adults will never be competent with a firearm.
    — Tyler Freel, Outdoor Life, 25 May 2023
  • Gen Alpha tends to be more assertive and competent.
    — Sarah Scott, Parents, 14 June 2026
  • A lot of soil monitors are more than competent at testing the pH of soil.
    — Karen Hugg, WIRED, 9 Nov. 2022
  • Every team is doing competent work against its own scoreboard.
    — George Kapernaros, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
  • But the Ravens have an elite quarterback in his prime and some competent pieces in place on both sides of the ball.
    — Saad Yousuf, New York Times, 15 Jan. 2026
  • Or at least competent enough to steer us through whatever miseries the coming months were sure to bring.
    — Yael Goldstein-Love, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2023
  • But the judge ruled Michael was competent to stand trial and must remain behind bars.
    — CBS News, 22 Oct. 2022
  • Rebel Ridge manages to hit the low bar of being competent and watchable.
    — Caryn James, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Sep. 2024
  • For the child who is a competent swimmer, eyes-reach supervision is the next step.
    — Laura Berrios, AJC.com, 19 May 2026

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'competent.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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