konkurrieren

Konkurrieren is a German verb meaning to compete or to rival others, often in the sense of striving for superiority, a prize, or market position. It is used in business, sports, academia, and everyday contexts where entities aim to outperform or match one another. The verb can take the preposition mit to indicate competing with someone, or um to indicate competing for something, as in Unternehmen konkurrieren um Marktanteile or Die Teams konkurrieren miteinander.

Etymology and formation: konkurrieren derives from the noun Konkurrenz (competition, rivalry), which itself goes back to French concurrence and Latin concurrere “to run together.” The verb form with the common German -ieren suffix is a typical way to create action nouns or verbs related to a noun.

Usage notes: The phrase mit + Dativ or um + Akkusativ is standard when expressing the rival relationship and the object of competition. It is a neutral term, though it can carry a slightly formal or technical tone in business or economics writing. In everyday language, synonyms like sich messen, rivalisieren, or wetteifern may be used, with nuance differences: sich messen emphasizes testing oneself against others; rivalisieren often implies rivalry; wetteifern is common in sports or competitive contexts.

Conjugation and forms: konkurrieren is conjugated like a regular -ieren verb. Example forms: ich konkurriere, du konkurrierst, er konkurriert, wir konkurrieren, ihr konkurriert, sie konkurrieren. Partizip Perfekt: konkurriert; Partizip I: konkurrierend.

Synonyms and contrasts: competitors in a market are described as competing entities; zu konkurrieren mit someone or um something emphasizes direct competition or contest for a specific objective. The verb is distinct from terms focused more on cooperation or collaboration.