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

The Mustangs, who won the Porter County Conference round-robin and tournament titles, can complete an undefeated run through the regular season at Tri-Township on Friday before playing Bowman in a Kouts Sectional opener on Tuesday. —Michael Osipoff, Chicago Tribune, 26 Feb. 2026

In addition to that, Larkin scored a goal in each of the two knockout round games and had an assist in round-robin play. —CBS News, 22 Feb. 2026

The Americans went on to defeat Finland in the last game of the round-robin format to secure the gold, while the Soviets beat Sweden to take silver. —Arizona Republic, AZCentral.com, 21 Feb. 2026

Much of the season is given over, as in the show’s first iteration, to the round-robin-style hookups and breakups taking place among the young and largely attractive staff. —Naomi Fry, New Yorker, 21 Feb. 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