Definition of 'competence'
uncountable noun
Competence is the ability to do something well or effectively.
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
British English pronunciation
American English pronunciation
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Word Frequency
competence in American English
noun
Also ˈcompetency (ˈkɑmpətənsi
)
1.
sufficient means for one's needs
2.
condition or quality of being competent; ability; fitness; specif., legal capability, power, or jurisdiction
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Word origin
Fr compétence < L competentia, a meeting, agreement < competens, prp. of competere: see competeWord Frequency
competence in American English
(ˈkɑmpɪtəns)
noun
1.
the quality of being competent; adequacy; possession of required skill, knowledge, qualification, or capacity
He hired her because of her competence as an accountant
2.
sufficiency; a sufficient quantity
3.
4. Law (of a witness, a party to a contract, etc.)
legal capacity or qualification based on the meeting of certain minimum requirements of age, soundness of mind, citizenship, or the like
5. Embryology
6. Linguistics
the implicit, internalized knowledge of a language that a speaker possesses and that enables the speaker to produce and understand the language
Compare performance (sense 8) 7. Immunology
the capacity of the immune system to carry out its function of distinguishing alien from endogenous material
8. Geology
the ability of a fluid medium, as a stream or the wind, to move and carry particulate matter, measured by the size or weight of the largest particle that can be transported
Most material © 2005, 1997, 1991 by Penguin Random House LLC. Modified entries © 2019
by Penguin Random House LLC and HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Word origin
[1585–95; compet(ent) + -ence]Word Frequency
competence in British English
noun
1.
the condition of being capable; ability
2.
a sufficient income to live on
4. embryology
the ability of embryonic tissues to react to external conditions in a way that influences subsequent development
5. linguistics
(in transformational grammar) the form of the human language faculty, independent of its psychological embodiment in actual human beings
Compare performance (sense 7), langue, parole (sense 5) Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Examples of 'competence' in a sentence
competence
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Quotations
He has, indeed, done it very well; but it is a foolish thing well done
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In other languages
competence
British English: competence
NOUN /ˈkɒmpɪtəns/
Competence is the ability to do something well or effectively.
Many people have testified to his competence.
- American English: competence /ˈkɒmpɪtəns/
- Brazilian Portuguese: competência
- Chinese: 能力
- European Spanish: capacidad
- French: compétence
- German: Fähigkeit
- Italian: competenza
- Japanese: 能力
- Korean: 능력
- European Portuguese: competência
- Spanish: capacidad
- Thai: ความสามารถ
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Definition of competence from the Collins English Dictionary
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