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Definition of competition noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

competition

noun
 
/ˌkɒmpəˈtɪʃn/
 
/ˌkɑːmpəˈtɪʃn/
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  1. [countable] an event in which people compete with each other to find out who is the best at something
    • a design/an art/a talent competition
    • an international/a national competition
    • Hundreds of schools entered the competition.
    • She's won a prestigious singing competition.
    • in a competition He won fourth place in the competition.
    • a competition to do something a competition to design the new Parliament building
    Extra Examples
    • There will be a painting competition for children of different age groups.
    • They twice won the European Cup, a knockout competition between the top teams in Europe.
    • I encouraged her to enter the essay competition.
    • wines that won medals at major wine competitions
    • a competition for the best chef
    • a competition between the best teams in the country
    • We're going to have a competition to see who can swim the fastest.
    • The competition is open to all readers of the magazine.
    • The American women dominated the competition, winning all the events.
    • I won the car in a competition.
    • She won an international dancing competition.
    Topics Sports: other sportsa2
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • international
    • national
    • major
    verb + competition
    • win
    • lose
    • have
    competition + verb
    • take place
    • be open to somebody
    competition + noun
    • winner
    • entry
    • committee
    preposition
    • in a/​the competition
    • competition between
    • competition for
    See full entry
  2. [uncountable] a situation in which people or organizations compete with each other for something that not everyone can have
    • stiff/fierce/intense/tough competition
    • competition between A and B competition between two similar products
    • competition among somebody/something The government said the new laws would enhance competition among banks.
    • competition for something competition for resources/jobs/food, etc.
    • competition to do something competition to secure a place on the course
    • competition from somebody/something The firm is facing stiff competition from its online rivals.
    • in competition with somebody/something Public education is run in direct competition with the private sector.
    • in competition with somebody/something for something We are in competition with four other companies for the contract.
    • in competition with somebody/something to do something The programme puts two couples in competition with each other to redecorate one another's homes.
    Extra Examples
    • Competition is heating up and sales are shrinking.
    • We won the contract in the face of tough competition.
    • Fierce competition exists between schools in the area.
    • This is a significant achievement for the company in the face of stiff competition from its Australian rival.
    • Their rivalry had been one of friendly competition.
    • There is a lot of competition between rival airlines.
    • There is head-to-head competition in production and distribution.
    • They won the order against fierce international competition.
    • This intensified the competition for the same investors' funds.
    • We are in competition with some very large companies.
    • We face strong competition from other countries.
    • intense competition for the contract
    • policies aimed at fostering greater competition in the industry
    • to fight off competition from foreign firms
    • She plans to go into competition with her former employer.
    • The company is having to lay off workers in the face of stiff competition.
    • There is now intense competition between schools to attract students.
    Topics Sports: other sportsb1, Businessb1
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • cut-throat
    • fierce
    • intense
    verb + competition
    • be up against
    • face
    • go into
    competition + verb
    • exist
    • heat up
    • intensify
    competition + noun
    • laws
    preposition
    • against competition
    • in competition with
    • in the face of competition
    See full entry
  3. the competition
    [singular + singular or plural verb] the people who are competing against somebody
    • We'll be able to assess the competition at the conference.
    • This car consistently outperforms the competition.
    • The competition is/are bringing out a new model.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverb + competition
    • outperform
    • blow away
    • crush
    See full entry
  4. Word Originearly 17th cent.: from late Latin competitio(n-) ‘rivalry’, from competere ‘strive for’, from com- ‘together’ + petere ‘aim at, seek’.
See competition in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee competition in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
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adjective
 
 
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