compete with vs compete against

Both 'compete with' and 'compete against' are commonly used phrases in English, but they are used in slightly different contexts. 'Compete with' is used when referring to someone or something you are trying to outdo or surpass in a general sense. On the other hand, 'compete against' is used when referring to a direct competition or challenge between two or more parties.

Last updated: March 27, 2024 • 1806 views

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English.

"compete with"

This phrase is used when referring to someone or something you are trying to outdo or surpass in a general sense.

Examples:

She always competes with her brother to see who can run faster.
Our company competes with others in the industry for market share.

Show examples from the web [+]

Aug 9, 2022 ... US invests $280bn in high tech to compete with China ... US President Joe Biden has signed a law committing $280bn (£232bn) to high tech ...
Apr 13, 2022 ... Research Article. ROBOTS AND SOCIETY. Share on. How to compete with robots by assessing job automation risks and resilient alternatives.
Regulated virulence controls the ability of a pathogen to compete with the gut microbiota. Science. 2012 Jun 8;336(6086):1325-9. doi: ...
7 days ago ... The company lacks the marketing muscle to compete with drug giants. We're only a small business and don't have the capital to compete with the ...
Jun 8, 2020 ... TETs compete with DNMT3 activity in pluripotent cells at thousands of methylated somatic enhancers. Nat Genet. 2020 Aug;52(8):819-827. doi: ...
Examples of compete in a Sentence · Weeds compete with your plants for water and nutrients. · Ideally, your child should compete at the elite level by at least ...

Alternatives:

rival with
strive with
vie with
contest with
battle with

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English.

"compete against"

This phrase is used when referring to a direct competition or challenge between two or more parties.

Examples:

The two teams will compete against each other in the final match.
I don't want to compete against my friends; I'd rather work together with them.

Show examples from the web [+]

Sorry. - About to compete against three students...
You can't compete against the Tonys.
I can't compete against that mane, and the way you shook it out for her earlier.
No, I want to compete against another team.
- You're going to compete against us?
Manuel Arriega challenges anyone who wishes to compete against him.
You just don't think I can compete against you.
You are genetically predisposed to compete against other women for the attention of strong, powerful men like myself or others very similar to me.
Senator Morton, you said if the sale of MicroCon is approved, they will control the market and use the technology to compete against our own companies.
How can I compete against sisters?
Mr President, in 1991, Microsoft was a small company that had to compete against the bigger ones.
And down-rocking, as you know, is trying to see who can compete against whose moves on the floor.
How are we supposed to compete against a bunch of adorable old people?
We can't compete against that much stock footage of clouds!
Finally, the European Union must also reject the completely outdated idea of trying to compete against the United States, and replace it with close and sound partnership.
It is not equal treatment when one organisation can receive funding without needing to make a proposal to the Commission, and yet other organisations must compete against many other worthwhile proposals.
I fear that we will sooner or later have to accept the fact that African bananas simply cannot compete against Latin American ones, however, because of lower quality and higher production costs.
A multi-product rebate may be anti-competitive on the tied or the tying market if it is so large that equally efficient competitors offering only some of the components cannot compete against the discounted bundle.
Right, but how do you think that will compete against a huge company like Mirae?

Alternatives:

face off against
challenge
compete with
compete in opposition to
compete in a contest with

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compete with vs compete against

"compete with"

"compete against"

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