/'kɒmpɪtəns; `kɑmpətəns/
n [U]
1 ~ (for/as/in sth); ~ (in doing sth/to do sth) being competent; ability 胜任; 能力; 称职
*No one doubts her competence as a teacher. 谁也不怀疑她能胜任教师工作.
* competence in solving problems 解决问题的能力.
2 ~ (to do sth) (of a court, a judge, etc) legal authority （指法院、法官等的）管辖权, 权限
*matters within/beyond the competence of the court, ie ones that it can/cannot legally deal with 法院权限以内[以外]的事（法院依法能[不能]解决的事）.

n
[U]alsocompetency
the ability to do something well
≠ incompetencecompetence in
　Students will gain competence in a wide range of skills.
competence of
　He questioned the competence of the government.
professional/linguistic/technical etc competence
　Doctors have to constantly update their knowledge in order to maintain their professional competence.
[U]law
the legal power of a court of law to hear and judge something in court, or of a government to do something
be within the competence of sth
　Many legal issues are within the competence of individual states rather than the federal government.
[C]alsocompetency
formal a skill needed to do a particular job
　Typing is considered by most employers to be a basic competence.