competition
Other forms: competitions
If you are trying to win or attempting to prove you're the best, you're in a competition. The word also describes your opponent in sports, business, and politics.
If you're trying to beat out someone else — whether in the Olympics or a pie-baking contest — it's a competition, and the other contestants are called the competition too. If you describe something as a "friendly competition," you're saying the outcome isn't critical, or there's no money involved. If you do something impressive in order to win, people will say competition brings out the best in you. If you try to injure your opponent, they'll say it brings out the worst.
Definitions of competition
-
the act of competing as for profit or a prizesynonyms: contention, rivalryantonyms:cooperationjoint operation or actiontypes:contesta struggle between rivalsbattle of witsa contest in which intelligence rather than violence is usedbidding contesta series of competing bidspopularity contestcompetition (real or figurative) for popular supporttype of:group actionaction taken by a group of people
-
a business relation in which two parties compete to gain customers“business competition can be fiendish at times”types:price competition, price warintense competition in which competitors cut retail prices to gain businesstype of:business relationa relation between different business enterprises
-
an occasion on which a winner is selected from among two or more contestantssynonyms: contesttypes:gamea single play of a sport or other contestbouta contest or fight (especially between boxers or wrestlers)championshipa competition at which a champion is chosenchickena foolhardy competition; a dangerous activity that is continued until one competitor becomes afraid and stopscliffhangera contest whose outcome is uncertain up to the very enddogfighta fiercely disputed contestracea contest of speedtournament, tourneya sporting competition in which contestants play a series of games to decide the winnerplayoffany competition to determine a championshipseries(sports) several contests played successively by the same teamsfield triala contest between gun dogs to determine their proficiency in pointing and retrievingmatcha formal contest in which two or more persons or teams competetournamenta series of jousts between knights contesting for a prizeraceany competitionspelldown, spelling bee, spelling contesta contest in which you are eliminated if you fail to spell a word correctlytrial(sports) a preliminary competition to determine qualificationsderbya contest or race open to any interested contestantspageanta contest in which competitors’ beauty is judgedhome gamea game played at homenightcapthe final game of a double headerdouble feature, doubleheader, twin billtwo games instead of one (especially in baseball when the same two teams play two games on the same day)playoff gameone game in the series of games constituting a playoffcup tiean eliminating game between teams in a cup competitiondecathlonan athletic contest consisting of ten different eventsOlympiad, Olympic Games, Olympicsan international sports competition that takes place every two years, alternating between winter and summer sportsSpecial Olympicsan athletic contest modeled after the Olympic Games but intended for mentally or physically handicapped personspentathlonan athletic contest consisting of five different eventsbicycle racea race between people riding bicyclesboat racea race between people rowing or driving boatsburnupa high-speed motorcycle race on a public roadchariot racea race between ancient chariotsdog racinga race between dogs; usually an occasion for betting on the outcomefreestylea race (as in swimming) in which each contestant has a free choice of the style to usecross countrya long race run over open countryheata preliminary race in which the winner advances to a more important racehorse racea contest of speed between horses; usually held for the purpose of bettingpotato racea novelty race in which competitors move potatoes from one place to another one at a timesack racea novelty race in which competitors jump ahead with their feet confined in a sackscratch racea race in which all contestants start from scratch (on equal terms)repechagea race (especially in rowing) in which runners-up in the eliminating heats compete for a place in the final raceWorld Cupa soccer tournament held every four years between national soccer teams to determine a world championelimination tournamenta tournament in which losers are eliminated in successive roundsopena tournament in which both professionals and amateurs may playhome standa series of successive games played at a team's home field or courtWorld Seriesseries that constitutes the playoff for the baseball championshipboxing matcha match between boxers; usually held in a boxing ringchess matcha match between chess playerscockfighta match in a cockpit between two fighting cocks heeled with metal gaffscricket matcha match between two cricket teamsfield eventa competition that takes place on a field rather than on a running trackfinalthe final match between the winners of all previous matches in an elimination tournamentquarterfinalone of the four competitions in an elimination tournament whose winners go on to play in the semifinalssemi, semifinalone of the two competitions in the next to the last round of an elimination tournamentround robina tournament in which every contestant plays every other contestantswimming eventan athletic competition that involves swimmingtennis matcha match between tennis playerswrestling matcha match between wrestlershop-step-and-jump, triple jumpan athletic contest in which a competitor must perform successively a hop and a step and a jump in continuous movementtug-of-wara contest in which teams pull of opposite ends of a rope; the team dragged across a central line losesarms racea competition between nations to have the most powerful armamentstriathlonan athletic contest consisting of three different events (typically running, swimming, and cycling)biathlonan athletic contest consisting of two different events (typically cross-country skiing and rifle shooting)type of:social eventan event characteristic of persons forming groups
-
the contestant you hope to defeat“he wanted to know what the competition was doing”synonyms: challenger, competitor, contender, rivaltypes:comersomeone with a promising futurefinalista contestant who reaches the final stages of a competitionscratcha competitor who has withdrawn from competitionsemifinalistone of four competitors remaining in a tournament by eliminationstreet fightera contestant who is very aggressive and willing to use underhand methodstierany one of two or more competitors who tie one anothertiltersomeone who engages in a tilt or joustmortal enemyan enemy who wants to kill yourecord-breaker, record-holdersomeone or something recognized for having done something better, faster, or to a greater degree than anyone elsetype of:contestanta person who participates in competitions
Pronunciation
US
UK
Cite this entry
Style:
MLA
- MLA
- APA
- Chicago
Copy citation
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘competition'.
Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors.
Send us feedback
Word Family
Vocabulary lists containing competition
The Industrial Revolution - Introductory
Here's a capital idea: Review this vocabulary list about the Industrial Revolution. Learn about factories, assembly lines, and mass production, as well as inventions like the cotton gin, the locomotive, the telegraph, and the steamboat. With a little labor, you're sure to profit from this list.
