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- compete against
compete against
compete against someone
to contend against someone; to play against someone in a game or contest. I don't see how I can compete against all of them. She refused to compete against her own brothers.
compete against something
to struggle against something; to seem to be in a contest with something. It was hard to be heard. I was competing against the noise of construction. Please stop talking. I do not wish to compete against the audience when I lecture.