competitor

Everyday

1. A competitor is a person or team taking part in a race, contest or game, trying to win. tree →
2. A competitor is a business that sells the same kind of thing as another business and tries to get its customers. tree →

In the lessons

In sport and school events it names everyone taking part; in stories about business it names a rival shop or company. Maths problems often count competitors or give their times and scores to compare. Phrases: fellow competitor, main competitor, the competitors lined up.

Examples

• Forty competitors started the cross-country race. tree →
• Each competitor got a number to pin on their shirt. tree →
• The youngest competitor was only eight years old. tree →
• The bakery's main competitor is the new café across the road. tree →
• She shook hands with every competitor after the final. tree →
• There were 12 competitors, and 3 of them won medals. tree →
• The competitors waited nervously for the judges' scores. tree →

Note

Countable: a competitor, competitors. Spelling ends in «-or». Related words: compete (verb), competition (noun), competitive (adjective). In maths: «12 competitors, 3 won medals» — those without medals = 12 − 3 = 9.