Definition of "rival" []

• One who attempts to equal or surpass another, or who pursues the same object as another; a competitor. (noun)
• One that equals or almost equals another in a particular respect. (noun)
• Obsolete A companion or an associate in a particular duty. (noun)
• To attempt to equal or surpass. (verb-transitive)
• To be the equal of; match: "They achieved more than they had ever dreamed, lending a magic to their family story that no tale or ordinary life could possibly rival” ( Doris Kearns Goodwin). (verb-transitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Water wars have been with us for all of human history -- the word "rival" comes from a Latin word meaning "one who uses the same stream as another.""
• "The French Citroën driver Loeb, who has an eight-point advantage over the Finnish Ford driver Mikko Hirvonen going into this final race of the season, leads his title rival by only 0.7 seconds."
• "Hosting the event will be Björn Türoque, one of the stars of the documentary, C-Diddy's main rival from the States, and he's here in Edinburgh."