competitionnoun
uk/ˌkɒm.pəˈtɪʃ.ən/us/ˌkɑːm.pəˈtɪʃ.ən/B2 [ U ] a situation in which someone is trying to win something or be more successful than someone else:
Competition for jobs is intense.
There's a lot of competition between computer companies.
The two companies are in competition with each other.
[ + to infinitive ] There's fierce competition to get into that school.
Foreign competition (= similar products from other countries) had reduced their sales.
Why are you jealous of her? She's no competition!
A2 [ C ] an organized event in which people try to win a prize by being the best, fastest, etc.:
a swimming/chess competition
She's entered a crossword competition.
humorous You don't need to eat so quickly! It's not a competition.
the competition [ S ]
the person or people you are trying to be better than:
The competition on the track looked fierce and her heart sank.
More examples
- The couple skated spectacularly throughout the competition.
- Win the house of your dreams in our fantastic competition!
- There have been a huge number of entries for this year's poetry competition.
- The prize money for literary competitions can be as high as £40 000.
- England has to win tonight's qualifying match to go through to the next round of the competition.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Competing and contending (non-sporting)
- cat
- challenge
- close-run
- competitive
- contend
- contender
- contest
- contestant
- entry
- go in for sth
- one-upmanship
- pit sb/sth against sb/sth
- pit your wits against sb/sth idiom
- play cat and mouse idiom
- play sb/sth off against sb/sth
- race
- rivalry
- scramble
- square
- try out for sth
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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Competitions, & parts of competitions
Competitors & participants in sports & games