competition
- 01 A2 Elementary
an event or contest where people try to win a prize by being the best.
a specific organized event or contest in which participants strive for a prize, award, or ranking.
Simple“She won first place in the school photography competition last year.”
In context“The international architecture competition attracted entries from over fifty countries, each vying for the chance to design the new city library.”
UsageUsually a countable noun.
Synonyms - 02 B1 Intermediate
the activity of trying to be more successful than someone else.
the abstract process or state of rivalry between individuals, groups, or businesses for success or resources.
Simple“There is a lot of competition between the two local coffee shops.”
In context“Fierce competition in the smartphone market has forced manufacturers to innovate rapidly while keeping prices relatively stable for consumers.”
UsageUsually an uncountable noun.
SynonymsAntonyms - 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
the people or companies that you are competing against.
the collective group of competitors or rivals within a specific field or market.
Simple“We need to lower our prices because the competition is very strong.”
In context“By analyzing the competition, the startup identified a gap in the market that the larger corporations had completely overlooked.”
UsageUsed as a collective noun, often with 'the'.
Teacher's tipIn British English, this collective noun can take a plural verb (e.g., 'the competition are strong'), whereas American English prefers the singular.
Usage competition since · competition direct · direct competition
Borrowed from French compétition, from Late Latin competītiō, competītiōnem, from Latin competō, from con- + petō. By surface analysis, compete + -ition.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.