Meaning & use
unfair competition
Last updated
Meanings
phraseuncountablebusinesslaw
behavior in business that is dishonest or illegal and harms other companies or customers
Grammar: Uncountable: no plural and no 'a' before it; say 'unfair competition' or 'an act of unfair competition'.
Patterns
- engage in unfair competition
- accused of unfair competition
- laws against unfair competition
The small bakery sued the chain for unfair competition after it copied their name and packaging.
Many countries have laws against unfair competition to protect smaller businesses.
Selling goods below cost just to destroy rivals can be treated as unfair competition.
phraseuncountable
a situation in a game, test, or election where one side has an unfair advantage
Grammar: Used in general speech; often after 'it is' or 'there is'.
Patterns
- it is unfair competition
- there is unfair competition
- complain about unfair competition
Allowing one runner to start early is unfair competition.
Students complained that the online exam was unfair competition for those without fast internet.
The coach said the referee's decision created unfair competition.
Common combinations
- laws against unfair competition
- The new rules strengthen laws against unfair competition.
- accused of unfair competition
- The software company was accused of unfair competition.
- engage in unfair competition
- Firms that engage in unfair competition may face heavy fines.
- unfair competition claim
- They filed an unfair competition claim in federal court.
Synonyms and how they differ
- anti-competitive behavior
- This is more technical and focuses on actions that reduce competition in a market, not just on fairness.
- dirty tricks
- This is informal and describes sneaky actions generally, not a legal category.
Opposites
Word family
- unfairly adverb
- in a way that is not fair
- competitor noun
- a person or company that competes with another
- competitive adjective
- involving or showing strong competition
- compete verb
- to try to do better than others
Commonly confused: unfair competition or unfair advantage?
unfair competition vs unfair advantage
An unfair advantage is the benefit one side has; unfair competition is the unfair situation or dishonest practice itself.
Practice
The company was fined for ______ by paying workers to reveal rivals' secrets.
Choose one answer.
The phrase after 'for' needs a noun describing the dishonest business practice, so 'unfair competition' fits. 'Unfair advantage' names the benefit, not the practice; 'unfairly competing' is a verb phrase that would need 'for' plus -ing but is less natural here; 'unfair competitor' would mean a person or company, not the act.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “unfair competition”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.