pageant

noun

pag·​eant ˈpa-jənt 

1

a

: a mere show : pretense

b

: an ostentatious display

2

: show, exhibition

especially : an elaborate colorful exhibition or spectacle often with music that consists of a series of tableaux, of a loosely unified drama, or of a procession usually with floats

3

: pageantry sense 1

Synonyms

• cavalcade

Examples of pageant in a Sentence

They disagreed with the pageant judges.

Their church puts on an annual Christmas pageant.

Recent Examples on the Web

Amid the controversy following Voigt and Srivastava's resignations, their mothers Jackeline Voigt and Barbara Srivastava sat down with Good Morning America to call for changes within the Miss USA pageant system. —Becca Longmire, Peoplemag, 22 May 2024

Advertisement Austrian designer Schor worked in Rome with Gian Lorenzo Bernini, a sculptor who is known to have also choreographed grand pageants for monarchs. —Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 21 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English pagyn, padgeant, literally, scene of a play, from Anglo-French pagine, pagent, from Medieval Latin pagina, perhaps from Latin, page

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

pageant

noun

pag·​eant ˈpaj-ənt 

1

: an impressive exhibition or spectacle

2

: an entertainment consisting of scenes based on history or legend