rival

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. One who attempts to equal or surpass another, or who pursues the same object as another; a competitor.
2. n. One that equals or almost equals another in a particular respect.
3. n. Obsolete A companion or an associate in a particular duty.
4. v. To attempt to equal or surpass.
5. v. 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).
6. v. To be a competitor or rival; compete.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. One having a common right or privilege with another; an associate; an alternating partner or companion in duty.
2. n. One who is in pursuit of the same object as another; one who strives to reach or obtain something which another is attempting to obtain, and which only one can possess; a competitor: as, rivals in love; rivals for a crown.
3. n. One who emulates or strives to equal or exceed another in excellence; a competitor; an antagonist: as, two rivals in eloquence.
4. n. Synonyms and See emulation.
5. Having the same pretensions or claims; standing in competition for superiority: as, rival lovers; rival claims or pretensions.
6. To stand in competition with; seek to gain something in opposition to: as, to rival one in love.
7. To strive to equal or excel; emulate.
8. To be a competitor; act as a rival.

Wiktionary

1. n. A competitor (person, team, company, etc.) who is well known to another and has similar skills and achievements. Defeating a rival may be a primary or necessary goal of a competitor.
2. n. Someone or something with similar claims of quality or distinction as another.
3. v. transitive To oppose or compete with.
4. v. To equal to or surpass another.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. obsolete A person having a common right or privilege with another; a partner.
2. n. One who is in pursuit of the same object as another; one striving to reach or obtain something which another is attempting to obtain, and which one only can posses; a competitor
3. adj. Having the same pretensions or claims; standing in competition for superiority
4. v. To stand in competition with; to strive to gain some object in opposition to.
5. v. To strive to equal or exel; to emulate.
6. v. obsolete To be in rivalry.

WordNet 3.0

1. v. be the rival of, be in competition with
2. n. the contestant you hope to defeat
3. v. be equal to in quality or ability