tournament

noun

tour·​na·​ment ˈtu̇r-nə-mənt 

also ˈtər-

or ˈtȯr-

1

: a series of games or contests that make up a single unit of competition (as on a professional golf tour), the championship playoffs of a league or conference, or an invitational event

2

a

: a knightly sport of the Middle Ages between mounted combatants armed with blunted lances or swords and divided into two parties contesting for a prize or favor bestowed by the lady of the tournament

b

: the whole series of knightly sports, jousts, and tilts occurring at one time and place

Synonyms of tournament

• competition
• event
• game
• championship
• match
• contest
• tourney

Examples of tournament in a Sentence

She's an excellent tennis player who has won many tournaments.

a golf tournament in which professionals compete against amateurs

Recent Examples on the Web

Shell told analysts that the UFC’s year-round schedule will be a boon particularly for CBS, which has its big sports investments clustered around the fall and winter NFL schedule and spring NCAA tournament. —Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 10 Nov. 2025

Along with that, two matches occur on the card to determine who advances in the 16-man tournament to decide Cena's final opponent. —Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Nov. 2025

The $5 billion fund already invested in the Mutua Madrid Open and Miami Open tennis tournaments, in partnership with Ari Emanuel and Mark Shapiro. —Kurt Badenhausen, Sportico.com, 10 Nov. 2025

Defender Caroline Castans, a junior from Flower Mound, Texas, was named to the Big 12 all-tournament team for the second straight year. —Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 10 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English tornement, from Anglo-French turneiement, from turneier

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

Phrases Containing tournament

• pre-tournament

Kids Definition

tournament

noun

tour·​na·​ment ˈtu̇r-nə-mənt 

also ˈtər-

or ˈtȯr-

1

: a contest of skill and courage between knights wearing armor and fighting with blunted lances or swords

2

: a contest or series of contests played for a championship