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.
O’Toole was competing with Ivey, Sheriff and Gaines, all of whom spent time with the Seahawks last season. — Andrew Destin, New York Times, 31 Aug. 2026 Then there’s the health of the athletes, who will not only have to play in their 30-game schedule, but also compete in the World Cups matches in the middle of their regular season. — Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 30 Aug. 2026 Winning the peace Tehran’s competing politicians maintain publicly that Iran has emerged triumphant in the war. — Mostafa Salem, CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2026 Rather than competing with Hubble and Webb, Roman will provide the broader context that allows both telescopes to make even more important discoveries. — Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 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

See All Rhymes for compete

Browse Nearby Words

compesce
compete
competence
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

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

Copy Citation

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
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of conscientious

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All