RIVAL (rivalled, rivalling)

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

Irregular inflected forms: rivalled    , rivalling   

 Dictionary entry overview: What does rival mean? 

• RIVAL (noun)
  The noun RIVAL has 1 sense:

1. the contestant you hope to defeat

  Familiarity information: RIVAL used as a noun is very rare.

• RIVAL (verb)
  The verb RIVAL has 2 senses:

1. be equal to in quality or ability

2. be the rival of, be in competition with

  Familiarity information: RIVAL used as a verb is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• RIVAL (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The contestant you hope to defeat

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

challenger; competition; competitor; contender; rival

Context example:

he wanted to know what the competition was doing

Hypernyms ("rival" is a kind of...):

contestant (a person who participates in competitions)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "rival"):

champ; champion; title-holder (someone who has won first place in a competition)

comer (someone with a promising future)

finalist (a contestant who reaches the final stages of a competition)

enemy; foe (a personal enemy)

favorite; favourite; front-runner (a competitor thought likely to win)

king; queen; world-beater (a competitor who holds a preeminent position)

runner-up; second best (the competitor who finishes second)

scratch (a competitor who has withdrawn from competition)

semifinalist (one of four competitors remaining in a tournament by elimination)

street fighter (a contestant who is very aggressive and willing to use underhand methods)

tier (any one of two or more competitors who tie one another)

tilter (someone who engages in a tilt or joust)

Derivation:

rival (be the rival of, be in competition with)

rivalrous (eager to surpass others)

• RIVAL (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they rival    ... he / she / it rivals   
Past simple: rivaled    / rivalled   
Past participle: rivaled    / rivalled   
-ing form: rivaling    / rivalling   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Be equal to in quality or ability

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Synonyms:

equal; match; rival; touch

Context example:

Her persistence and ambition only matches that of her parents

Hypernyms (to "rival" is one way to...):

compete; contend; vie (compete for something; engage in a contest; measure oneself against others)

Verb group:

equal; equalise; equalize; equate; match (make equal, uniform, corresponding, or matching)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s something

Sense 2

Meaning:

Be the rival of, be in competition with

Classified under:

Verbs of fighting, athletic activities

Context example:

we are rivaling for first place in the race

Hypernyms (to "rival" is one way to...):

compete; contend; vie (compete for something; engage in a contest; measure oneself against others)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "rival"):

outrival; outvie (be more of a rival than)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s something

Derivation:

rival (the contestant you hope to defeat)

rivalry (the act of competing as for profit or a prize)

 Context examples 

The curve of his neck was turned toward his rival.

(White Fang, by Jack London)

But, though this might be imaginary, she could not be deceived as to his behaviour to Miss Darcy, who had been set up as a rival to Jane.

(Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen)

He could not tell what I meant by secrets of state, where an enemy, or some rival nation, were not in the case.

(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)

The top-of-the-line Note 7 was crucial to Samsung's growth plans this year, with the company struggling to boost sales, squeezed by Apple in the high-end sector and Chinese rivals in the low-end.

(Samsung Ends Production of Problem-Plagued Galaxy Note 7, Voanews)

There will be no winner in this cosmic clash, but at least the Milky Way will be on an equal footing with its cosmic rival.

(No Winner in Milky Way-Andromeda Clash, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

“You see,” he said, still hugging himself in that unpleasant way, and shaking his head at me, “you're quite a dangerous rival, Master Copperfield. You always was, you know.”

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

Just one hint to you, Lestrade, drawled Holmes before his rival vanished; I will tell you the true solution of the matter.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

The long-term goals of the research include improving treatments for those with hearing impairments and designing machines that can interpret sound with abilities that rival those of humans.

(Understanding how the brain makes sense of sound, National Science Foundation)

Then he dozed off to sleep and to dream dreams that for madness and audacity rivalled those of poppy-eaters.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

However, I rejoice to say that I have a hated rival, who will certainly cut me out the instant that my back is turned.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)