Learn ArabicA2 › سِباق

سِباق

race /siˈbaːq/

nounA2#1272 most common

Also: racing, competition, contest

Example sentences

أُحِبُّ السِّباقَ.
I love racing.
شاهَدْنا سِباقَ السَّيّارات.
We watched the car race.
فازَ أخي في سِباقِ الجَري أمسِ.
My brother won the running race yesterday.
يَستَعِدُّ الفَريقُ لِسِباقِ الدَّرّاجاتِ القادِم.
The team is preparing for the upcoming cycling race.
تَحَوَّلَتِ الانتِخاباتُ إلى سِباقٍ مَحمومٍ نَحوَ السُّلطة.
The election turned into a feverish race for power.
في سِباقِ التَّسَلُّحِ بَينَ القُوَّتَينِ العُظمَيَين، لَم يَستَطِعْ أَيُّ طَرَفٍ أَن يَتَراجَع.
In the arms race between the two superpowers, neither side could back down.

Declension

CaseSingularPlural
Nominativeسِباقٌسِباقاتٌ
Genitiveسِباقٍسِباقاتٍ
Accusativeسِباقاًسِباقاتٍ
Vocativeيا سِباقُيا سِباقاتُ

Word family

سابَقَto race, to compete with
مُسابَقَةcompetition, contestسابِقformer, previous
سَبّاقfrontrunner, pioneer
أَسبَقearlier, prior

Etymology

سِباق comes from the Semitic root s-b-q, which means to precede or to get ahead. It is the verbal noun of the form III verb سابَقَ, to race against, so it names the act of each party trying to come first. The sense of speed grew out of the older sense of priority and precedence.

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