The word rival most commonly refers to a person or group that tries to defeat or be more successful than another person or group, which means that rivals tend to come in pairs.

RIVAL definition: 1. a person, group, etc. competing with others for the same thing or in the same area: 2. to be as…. Learn more.

Definition of rival noun in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.

RIVAL definition: a person who is competing for the same object or goal as another, or who tries to equal or outdo another; competitor. See examples of rival used in a sentence.

To be the equal of; match: "They achieved more than they had ever dreamed, lending a magic to their family story that no tale of ordinary life could possibly rival" (Doris Kearns Goodwin).

to prove to be a worthy rival of: He soon rivaled the others in skill. to equal (something) as if in carrying on a rivalry: The Hudson rivals any European river in beauty.

Rivalry between France and Germany has existed as long as the two nations states have; here, officers from the Prussian Gardes du Corps, wishing to provoke war, sharpen their swords on the steps of …