competition

competition — noun

1. the situation that arises when several people or organizations all try to obtain

1.nounB2
Definition

the situation that arises when several people or organizations all try to obtain the same desirable thing — such as a prize, a job, a customer, or market share — knowing that the supply will not cover everyone.

Example

The competition among local bakeries for the best cake recipe has grown fierce.

uncountable; competition among [group] for [resource]

There is tough competition between the two airlines to offer the cheapest flights.

competition between [A] and [B] to [goal]

Common collocations
  • fierce competition
  • stiff competition
  • intense competition
  • healthy competition
  • unfair competition
  • face competition
  • competition among
  • competition between
  • competition for
  • competition from
Synonyms
  • rivalry

    more personal or direct, often between named individuals or groups over a long period

  • contention

    more formal; often used in sports leagues or political races

  • battling

    emphasizes continuous effort; more informal

  • vying

    suggests active striving; used in formal or literary contexts

Antonyms

Usage Note

This sense is uncountable. It describes the general situation of competing rather than a specific event. Commonly used with adjectives such as fierce, stiff, intense, healthy, and unfair, and followed by for (the goal) or between/among (the participants).

Common Mistakes

There were many competitions in the job market.
There was a lot of competition in the job market.
for the general situation of rivalry, use the uncountable form.
The competition between the two teams were very exciting.
The competition between the two teams was very exciting.
competition is uncountable here, so take a singular verb.

2. an event with rules in which a number of people take part and a winner is chosen

2.nounA2
Definition

an event with rules in which a number of people take part and a winner is chosen — often in activities such as sports, cooking, writing, or music, and usually with a prize for the person who does best.

Example

Diego entered the annual photography competition at the city art museum.

countable; enter a competition

The school held a science competition where students built working robots from recycled parts.

hold / organise a competition

Common collocations
  • enter a competition
  • win a competition
  • take part in a competition
  • hold a competition
  • annual competition
  • photography competition
  • singing competition
  • cooking competition
  • sports competition
Synonyms
  • contest

    similar meaning; often used for less formal or single-activity events

  • tournament

    a series of competitions with elimination rounds

  • championship

    the final competition to decide the overall winner in a series

  • race

    a competition where speed is the deciding factor

Usage Note

This sense is countable. It refers to a specific, scheduled event with a clear structure and usually a prize. Unlike contest (which can be less formal), a competition often involves multiple rounds or judging criteria.

Common Mistakes

I joined a competition of arm wrestling at the beach.
I joined an arm-wrestling contest at the beach.
for informal, one-off events, contest is more natural.
We had a competition about who can eat the most hot dogs.
We had a competition to see who could eat the most hot dogs.
use 'to see who' or an infinitive of purpose, not 'about'.

3. the person, group, or company that someone is up against in a contest, election,

3.nounB1
Definition

the person, group, or company that someone is up against in a contest, election, or business situation — those who must be beaten to succeed.

Example

Kofi studied his competition carefully before the national chess championship.

possessive + competition = rival person/group

The new phone is much faster than anything the competition has produced so far.

Common collocations
  • main competition
  • biggest competition
  • ahead of the competition
  • beat the competition
  • the competition is [adj]
  • know your competition
  • stay ahead of the competition
Synonyms
  • rivals

    more personal; often used for known individuals or teams over time

  • opponents

    used in games, debates, and legal cases

  • challengers

    those who try to take the top position from the current leader

  • competitors

    formal term, especially in business contexts

Antonyms
  • ally

    someone on the same side

  • teammate

    a member of one's own group

Usage Note

Used with a possessive determiner (my competition, the company's competition) or with the definite article (the competition). Treated as uncountable — use a singular verb even when referring to multiple people: 'the competition is strong'. Distinguish from sense 1 (RIVALRY): sense 3 refers to specific people/companies, not the general activity.

Common Mistakes

My competitions are all very fast runners.
My competition is all very fast runners.
when referring to rivals as a group, competition is uncountable.
We must beat our competitions in the market.
We must beat the competition in the market.
use the competition (singular) for all rival businesses.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Competition (sense 1, RIVALRY) is the broadest term — it covers any situation where two or more parties try to gain the same limited thing, from school grades to multinational business. Rivalry is more personal and often long-lasting: two football teams have a rivalry that can span decades. Contest is narrower and more concrete — a contest is a specific event with rules and a clear winner, so it overlaps more with competition sense 2 (CONTEST) than with sense 1. Match is the narrowest of the four — it refers to a single game or meeting between two sides, like a chess match or a tennis match. In everyday use, say 'competition is fierce' for general situations; use 'rivalry' when the relationship has history; use 'contest' for a one-time event; and use 'match' for a head-to-head game.

rivalry ↗contest ↗competition ↗match ↗

Common collocations

Adverbs

  • in direct competition
  • in fierce competition

Phrases

  • in competition with each other
  • be in competition for

Prepositions

  • in competition with
  • out of competition

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

From Latin competitio ('agreement, rivalry'), from competere ('to strive together, to be qualified'), which joins com- ('together') and petere ('to seek, to aim at'). The original meaning in ancient Rome was 'to seek together' or 'to meet', and later shifted to 'to strive for the same goal'. The word passed into French as compétition and then into English in the 1600s, where it gradually took on its modern senses of organized contests and commercial rivalry.