round-robin

noun

round-rob·​in ˈrau̇nd-ˌrä-bən 

1

a

: a written petition, memorial, or protest to which the signatures are affixed in a circle so as not to indicate who signed first

b

: a statement signed by several persons

c

: something (such as a letter) sent in turn to the members of a group each of whom signs and forwards it sometimes after adding comment

2

: roundtable sense 1

3

: a tournament in which every contestant meets every other contestant in turn

4

: series, round

Synonyms of round-robin

• seminar
• symposium
• conference
• panel

Examples of round-robin in a Sentence

a round-robin to discuss the epidemic of performance-enhancing drugs plaguing professional sports

Recent Examples on the Web

Minnesota improved to 5-1 in the round-robin schedule for the WNBA Commissioner's Cup, but Las Vegas needed only to beat Dallas on Monday or Phoenix on Wednesday to secure the Western Conference spot. —CBS News, 15 June 2026

According to our comprehensive prediction model, this result gives the United States a 97 per cent chance of qualifying from the three-game round-robin group program for those straight-knockout stages. —Elias Burke, New York Times, 13 June 2026

The 2026 men’s World Cup group stage consists of 12 groups of four competing in round-robin competition, an increase of 16 teams from the last men’s World Cup. —Boston Herald, 12 June 2026

During the round-robin Group Stage, teams are awarded three points for a win, one point for a draw and zero points for a loss. —Mark Harris, FOXNews.com, 10 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

from the name Robin

First Known Use

1698, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for round-robin

• globin
• haemoglobin
• hemoglobin
• myoglobin

Kids Definition

round-robin

noun

ˈrau̇n-ˌdräb-ən

1

: a letter (as of protest) whose signers put their signatures in a circle so the receiver cannot tell who signed first

2

: a tournament in which every contestant plays once against every other contestant