compete
- 01 A2 Elementary
to take part in a race, a game, or a competition.
to participate in an organized event or contest against other participants.
Simple“Thousands of runners from all over the world compete in the London Marathon every year.”
In context“Professional athletes often spend years training for the opportunity to compete in the Olympic Games, where the margin between victory and defeat is measured in milliseconds.”
UsageUsually takes the preposition 'in' for the event and 'against' or 'with' for the opponent.
PitfallHe competed the race yesterday. He competed in the race yesterday.The verb 'compete' is intransitive; you must use 'in' before the event you are participating in.
Synonyms - 02 B1 Intermediate
to try to be better or more successful than other people or companies.
to strive to gain or win something that another is also trying to gain, such as market share or a specific reward.
Simple“Small local shops find it very difficult to compete with large supermarkets on price.”
In context“In a globalized economy, corporations must constantly innovate to compete effectively against emerging tech firms that offer lower overhead costs and faster delivery times.”
UsageCommonly followed by 'with' or 'against' to identify the rival entity.
Antonyms - 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
to be as good as others so that you have a chance of winning.
to possess the necessary quality or skill to be a viable contender in a specific arena.
Simple“The team played well, but they simply couldn't compete at this high level.”
In context“While the prototype showed promise, the engineering team realized the current battery life was insufficient to compete in the premium smartphone market.”
Teacher's tipThis sense often appears in the negative ('cannot compete') to describe something that is not of a high enough standard.
Synonymsmeasure uphold one's own
Borrowed from Middle French competer, from Latin competere (“to coincide, to be equal to, to be capable of”), from com- (“with”) + petō (“to seek; to aim for, strive for”). Compare Latin competītor (“competitor”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.