rival
[noun]
Synonyms:
- opponent, adversary, competitor, contender, contestant
[adjective]
Synonyms:
- competing, conflicting, opposing
[verb]
Synonyms:
- equal, be a match for, come up to, compare with, compete, match

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Related Words: contender, contestant, entrant, adversary, antagonist, opponent, attempt, strive, struggle, try, contend, fight

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. ri‧val¹ W3 /ˈraɪvəl/ noun [countable]
[Date: 1500-1600; Language: Latin; Origin: rivalis 'someone who uses the same stream as another, rival in love', from rivus 'stream']

1. a person, group, or organization that you compete with in sport, business, a fight etc Synonym : competitor:
This gives the company a competitive advantage over its rivals.
rival for
his chief rival for the job
He finished 39 seconds ahead of his main rival.
She was 2 minutes faster than her nearest rival.
a game against their old rivals, Manchester United
They still remain bitter rivals (=hate each other).
Their sales have now overtaken those of their arch-rival (=main or strongest rival).
rival company/firm/team etc
Sheena left her job and went to work for a rival company.

2. one of a group of things that people can choose between:
The newest model has several advantages over its rivals.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. rival² verb (past tense and past participle rivalled, present participle rivalling British English, rivaled, rivaling American English)
[transitive] to be as good or important as someone or something else ⇒ unrivalled:
The college’s facilities rival those of Harvard and Yale.
a stadium to rival any in the world

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

rival
noun
ADJ. arch, bitter, close, deadly, fierce, great, serious | biggest, chief, main, nearest, principal | long-standing, old They're old political rivals.
jealous | foreign, international The company is well equipped to compete with its international rivals.
business, political
VERB + RIVAL have She has no rivals for the job.
beat, defeat
RIVAL + NOUN candidate | faction, gang, group | company, firm | bid, offer | claim
PREP. ~ for They were rivals for her love.
~ in They were rivals in love.
~ to Grand it may be, but this cathedral is no rival to the great cathedral of Amiens.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

rival

somebody's main/chief rival
Who is the champion's main rival?
somebody's nearest/closest rival (=the one that is closest to beating them)
She finished 7.1 seconds ahead of her nearest rival.
a great rival (=an important rival for a long time)
Oxford and Cambridge University have always been great rivals
somebody's arch-rival (=their main or strongest rival)
McDonald's and its arch-rival Burger King
a serious rival
He knows that he has no serious rival for the job.
an old rival
Hindhead had a convincing victory over their old rivals, Frensham.
a potential rival (=one who is likely to be a rival in the future)
Their business is a potential rival for ours.
a bitter rival (=one that hates you)
They have long been bitter rivals.
a political rival
At the time, France and Britain were major political rivals.
a presidential rival
His presidential rivals have vigorously attacked him.
rival factions/groups
My task is to unite the rival factions within the party.
a rival team
The rival team's fans were in the other part of the ground.
a rival gang
The street is a war zone between two rival gangs.
rival fans/supporters
There were fights between rival fans after the match.
a rival company/firm
It may have to merge with a rival company to stay in business.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲