แข่ง
compete
A native Thai recording for this word is on the way. Please check back soon.
- 1 compete、race、play against
Describes competing against someone to determine who is faster, better, or more successful. It is used for sports and races as well as business and other kinds of competition.
compete、race、play against
Means to compete or race against an opponent under a shared activity or standard.
-
แข่งกัน khɛ̀ŋ kan compete against each other แข่งกัน details
-
เขาแข่งวิ่งกับเพื่อน khǎw khɛ̀ŋ wîŋ kàp phʉ̂an He races his friend. เขาแข่งวิ่งกับเพื่อน details
Learning notes
Explanation
The central idea of แข่ง is trying to outperform an opponent under the same activity or standard. In sports and races, it can mean “race,” “compete,” or “play against.” It also applies to competition in business, prices, grades, and ability. Common patterns include แข่งกับ + opponent, meaning “compete against,” แข่งกัน, meaning “compete with each other,” and แข่ง + activity. The common expression แข่งกับเวลา means “race against time.”
Usage
It is common when talking about sports matches, races, games, and school contests. It is also used for competition between businesses or stores and for competing over prices, grades, or performance.
Caution
แข่ง does not simply mean “participate.” To emphasize entering an event, ลงแข่ง can be used. Also note that แข่งกับเขา means “compete against him or her,” while แข่งกัน means “compete with each other”: กับ introduces the opponent, and กัน marks reciprocal action.
Differences from similar words
1 compete synonyms
-
แข่งขัน also means “to compete,” but it is the fuller and somewhat more formal form. It is common in announcements, reports, and writing, while แข่ง is shorter and especially natural in everyday conversation.