Synonyms/Hypernyms (Ordered by Estimated Frequency) of noun rival

1 sense of rival

Sense 1
rival, challenger, competitor, competition, contender -- (the contestant you hope to defeat; "he had respect for his rivals"; "he wanted to know what the competition was doing")
       => contestant -- (a person who participates in competitions)

Synonyms/Hypernyms (Ordered by Estimated Frequency) of verb rival

2 senses of rival

Sense 1
equal, touch, rival, match -- (be equal to in quality or ability; "Nothing can rival cotton for durability"; "Your performance doesn't even touch that of your colleagues"; "Her persistence and ambition only matches that of her parents")
       => compete, vie, contend -- (compete for something; engage in a contest; measure oneself against others)

Sense 2
rival -- (be the rival of, be in competition with; "we are rivaling for first place in the race")
       => compete, vie, contend -- (compete for something; engage in a contest; measure oneself against others)