Home/USA Today Rootonym/To strive to outdo another; to engage in a contest; to vie with others (verb)
To strive to outdo another; to engage in a contest; to vie with others (verb)
Looking for the answer to the USA Today Rootonym clue “To strive to outdo another; to engage in a contest; to vie with others (verb)”? The solution is COMPETE, a 7-letter word built on the root PET (“attack, seek, ask”). It appeared in the August 13, 2026 (Thursday) USA Today Rootonym. See the full puzzle for that day's other words.
Answer
COMPETE
***PET*PETmeans “attack, seek, ask”
In a sentence
Tina will continue to COMPETE in soccer because she is passionate about winning.
About this clue
The Rootonym clue “To strive to outdo another; to engage in a contest; to vie with others (verb)” has the answer COMPETE (7 letters), built on the root PET, which means “attack, seek, ask”. Browse the full August 13, 2026 Rootonym puzzle for the other three words, or see all Rootonym answers.