Partner vs Rival - What's the difference?

As nouns the difference between partner and rival

is that partner is someone who is associated with another in a common activity or interest while rival is a competitor (person, team, company, etc.) with the same goal as another, or striving to attain the same thing. Defeating a rival may be a primary or necessary goal of a competitor.

As verbs the difference between partner and rival

is that partner is to make or be a partner while rival is to oppose or compete with.

As an adjective rival is

having the same pretensions or claims; standing in competition for superiority.

partner

English

Noun

(en noun)

Someone who is associated with another in a common activity or interest.

# A member of a business or law partnership

#* 1668 July 3, , “Thomas Rue contra'' Andrew Hou?toun” in ''The Deci?ions of the Lords of Council & Se??ion I (Edinburgh, 1683), page 548:

He Su?pends on the?e Rea?ons, that Thomas Rue'' had granted a general Di?charge to ''Adam Mu?het'', who was his Conjunct, and ''correus debendi'', after the alleadged Service, which Di?charged ''Mu?het'', and con?equently ''Houstoun his Partner .

# A spouse or domestic partner

# Someone with whom one dances in a two-person dance.

He tried to persuade Cicely to stay away from the ball-room for a fourth dance.But she said she must go back, and when they joined the crowd again her partner was haled off with a frightened look to the royal circle, […].

(nautical) One of the pieces of wood comprising the framework which strengthens the deck of a wooden ship around the holes through which the mast and other fittings pass.

(Jamaica) A group financial arrangement in which each member contributes a set amount of money over a set period.

Synonyms

* See also

Verb

(en verb)

to make or be a partner

to work or perform as a partner

Descendants

* French: partenaire (g) 1000 English basic words ----

rival

English

Noun

(en noun)

A competitor (person, team, company, etc.) with the same goal as another, or striving to attain the same thing. Defeating a rival may be a primary or necessary goal of a competitor.

*{{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-21, author=(Oliver Burkeman)

, volume=189, issue=2, page=27, magazine=(The Guardian Weekly) , title= The tao of tech , passage=The dirty secret of the internet is that all this distraction and interruption is immensely profitable. Web companies like to boast about […], or offering services that let you

Someone or something with similar claims of quality or distinction as another.

(obsolete) One having a common right or privilege with another; a partner.

* (William Shakespeare)

If you do meet Horatio and Marcellus, / The rivals of my watch, bid them make haste.

Derived terms

* rivalry * archrival

Adjective

(-)

Having the same pretensions or claims; standing in competition for superiority.

rival lovers; rival claims or pretensions

* Macaulay

The strenuous conflicts and alternate victories of two rival confederacies of statesmen.

Verb

To oppose or compete with.

to rival somebody in love

To be equal to or to surpass another.

*{{quote-book, year=1963, author=(Margery Allingham)

, title=(The China Governess) , chapter=1 citation , passage=The original family who had begun to build a palace to rival Nonesuch had died out before they had put up little more than the gateway, […].}}

To strive to equal or excel; to emulate.

* Dryden

to rival thunder in its rapid course

Anagrams

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