Competitor
nounA person, team, or organisation that competes against others, especially in business or sport.
How to spell competitor
10 letters · 4 syllables
How to pronounce competitor
Say the part in capitals loudest.
What does competitor mean?
- nounA person, team, or organisation that competes against others, especially in business or sport.
Competitor in a sentence
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Our main competitor launched a cheaper product this week.
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Each competitor in the marathon wore a numbered bib.
Where does competitor come from?
Language of origin: Latin
This word descends from the Latin competitor, meaning 'a rival' or one who seeks something alongside another. It was built on the verb competere, formed from the prefix com-, meaning 'together', and petere, meaning 'to seek, strive, or aim for'. The original sense was literally about two or more people striving toward the same goal at the same time, which naturally implied rivalry. English took the word up in the late 1500s, around the same era that the related noun 'competition' and the verb 'compete' entered the language. The same petere root sits inside everyday words like 'petition' and 'appetite', all carrying the idea of seeking or reaching after something.
How the word is built
- com- (together)
- petit (from petere: to seek, strive)
- -or (agent noun suffix)
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