competition

noun

com·​pe·​ti·​tion ˌkäm-pə-ˈti-shən How to pronounce competition (audio)
1
: the act or process of competing : rivalry: such as
a
: the effort of two or more parties acting independently to secure the business of a third party by offering the most favorable terms
contractors in competition for the contract to build the new school
b
: active demand by two or more organisms or kinds of organisms for some environmental resource in short supply
the interspecies competition for food
2
: a contest between rivals
a gymnastics competition
also : one's competitors
faced tough competition

Examples of competition in a Sentence

Prices are lower when there is competition among the stores. Don't let the competition know our trade secrets. They had a competition to see who could sell the most lemonade.
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.
An 18-year-old Button first came to prominence in 1948, winning Olympic gold in St. Moritz, Switzerland, by being the first skater to land a double axel in competition. David K. Li, NBC News, 31 Jan. 2025 Joe has written extensively on wines and spirits and judged many of the leading international wines and spirits competitions. Joseph V Micallef, Forbes, 30 Jan. 2025 The film premiered in competition at the 81st Venice Film Festival. Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 30 Jan. 2025 Maxim had competed at the 2025 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita and finished fourth in the senior men's competition. Lawrence Yee, People.com, 30 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for competition 

Word History

Etymology

Late Latin competition-, competitio, from Latin competere — see compete

First Known Use

1579, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of competition was in 1579

Dictionary Entries Near competition

Cite this Entry

“Competition.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/competition. Accessed 9 Feb. 2025.

Kids Definition

competition

noun
com·​pe·​ti·​tion ˌkäm-pə-ˈtish-ən How to pronounce competition (audio)
1
: the act or process of competing
2
a
: a contest between rivals
b
c
: an individual or group one is competing against
look over the competition
3
: the effort of persons or firms to attract business by offering the most favorable terms
4
: the active seeking after and use of an environmental resource (as food) in limited supply by two or more plants or animals or kinds of plants and animals

More from Merriam-Webster on competition

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