Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • intransitive verb To strive for victory or superiority; contend. synonym: rival.
  • intransitive verb Archaic To offer in competition; match.
  • intransitive verb Obsolete To wager or bet.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A contest for superiority, especially a close or keen contest; a contention in the way of rivalry; hence, sometimes, a state where it would be difficult to decide as to which party had the advantage; also, a challenge; a wager.
  • In the old games of gleek, primero, etc., to wager on the value of one's hand against an opponent.
  • To strive for superiority; endeavor to be equal or superior (to); contend; rival: followed by with, and said of persons or things.
  • To offer as a stake, as in cardplaying; play as for a wager with.
  • To put or bring into competition; bandy; try to outdo in; contend with respect to.
  • noun Life.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb obsolete To stake; to wager.
  • transitive verb obsolete To do or produce in emulation, competition, or rivalry; to put in competition; to bandy.
  • intransitive verb obsolete To stake a sum upon a hand of cards, as in the old game of gleek. See revie.
  • intransitive verb To strive for superiority; to contend; to use emulous effort, as in a race, contest, or competition.
  • noun obsolete A contest for superiority; competition; rivalry; strife; also, a challenge; a wager.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb intransitive To rival; to struggle for superiority; to contend; to compete eagerly so as to gain something.
  • verb transitive, archaic To rival (something), etc.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb compete for something; engage in a contest; measure oneself against others

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Short for Middle English envien, from Old French envier, from Latin invītāre, to invite, give occasion for; see invite.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From French envier.

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Examples

  • Ohio State and Penn State could again vie for the conference championship, and a Nov. 7 date in Happy Valley could determine the outcome.

    Big Ten Conference outlook 2009

  • More often places and their names are representative of abstract ideas: America, Vietnam, the Riviera which, as Godard points out, contains the word vie for "life", Las Vegas.

    Pierrot le fou Ed Howard 2008

  • More often places and their names are representative of abstract ideas: America, Vietnam, the Riviera which, as Godard points out, contains the word vie for "life", Las Vegas.

    Archive 2008-05-01 Ed Howard 2008

  • II. i.310 (393,9) [kill on kiss She vy's so fast] I know not that the word vie has any construction that will suit this place; we may easily read,

    Notes to Shakespeare — Volume 01: Comedies Samuel Johnson 1746

  • The most recent term was pur autre vie, which is defined as:

    Sui Generis--a New York law blog: 2009

  • The most recent term was pur autre vie, which is defined as:

    Define That Term #311 2009

  • The most recent term was pur autre vie, which is defined as:

    Sui Generis--a New York law blog 2009

  • The story in all its intricacies may best be described as the vie amoureuse of Count D'Elmont, a hero with none of the wit, but with all the gallantry of the rakes of late Restoration comedy.

    The Life and Romances of Mrs Eliza Haywood Whicher, George Frisbie 1915

  • Carole James now must survive where "alpha males" vie "for control of a baboon group."

    Tyee - Home 2009

  • trouver des clients ou les laisser nous trouver, expliquer au monde ce que l'on fait, trouver un équilibre entre travail et "vie" pas évident quand on a fait de sa passion son métier, ou encore gérer l'administratif qui accompagne la vie réseautée que nous vivons aujourd'hui.

    So, What’s Going Solo About? — Climb to the Stars 2008

Comments

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  • C'est la vie. Totally.

    November 16, 2008