Ri·val, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Rivaled or Rivalled; p. pr. & vb. n. Rivaling or Rivalling.]
  1. To stand in competition with; to strive to gain some object in opposition to; as, to rival one in love.
  2. To strive to equal or exel; to emulate.
     To rival thunder in its rapid course.   --Dryden.
  rival
       n : the contestant you hope to defeat; "he had respect for his
           rivals"; "he wanted to know what the competition was
           doing" [syn: challenger, competitor, competition, contender]
       v 1: 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" [syn: equal, touch,
             match]
       2: be the rival of, be in competition with; "we are rivaling
          for first place in the race"
       [also: rivalling, rivalled]