[Elamur Dictionary](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/compete/)

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# compete

verb (compete, competes, competed, competing)

«compete» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. To compete means to try to win against others in a race, game or contest. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/compete/#m1)
2. To compete means to try to be more successful than others, for example shops competing for customers. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/compete/#m2)
3. In nature, living things compete for food, water, light and space. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/compete/#m3)

### In the lessons

In sports and school, pupils compete in races, quizzes, spelling bees and sports day. In science lessons on habitats, animals and plants compete for resources. Phrases: compete in, compete against, compete for, compete with.

### Examples

- Ten runners will compete in the race. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/compete/#x1)
- Our school competes against other schools in football. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/compete/#x2)
- Plants compete for sunlight. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/compete/#x3)
- Shops compete for customers by lowering prices. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/compete/#x4)
- She competed in the spelling bee. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/compete/#x5)
- It's more fun to compete fairly. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/compete/#x6)
- Birds compete for the best nesting places. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/compete/#x7)
- This was reported to the man who declared he would compete, ‘but,’ he said, ‘I shall let my servant run for me.’ [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/compete/#x8)

### Note

Regular verb: competed (drop e, add -ed), competing. Noun: competition; person: competitor; adjective: competitive. Compete in an event, against or with a person, for a prize.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «compete» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/compete/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«compete» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/compete.html) on Mova free.