竞 is a bound morpheme (b.f.) that means 'to compete' or 'contest'. It cannot be used alone as a word; instead, it appears as a component in common disyllabic compounds such as 竞争 (compete), 竞赛 (contest/competition), and 竞选 (election campaign). When you encounter 竞 in a text, it's always attached to another character to form a complete word.