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

• 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

Gauff is defending champion, while Pegula had to withdraw from last year’s round-robin after two matches due to injury. —James Hansen, New York Times, 12 Oct. 2025

The victory gave Navy (5-0) a leg up in holding on to the Commander-in-Chief's trophy, awarded to the winner of the round-robin between the Navy, Air Force and Army service academies. —Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 5 Oct. 2025

According to a press release, the event, scheduled for Saturday, March 21, 2026, will feature three teams of eight players competing in a round-robin tournament, with the top two teams advancing to a championship match. —Natasha Dye, PEOPLE, 22 Sep. 2025

The other two coaches in a round-robin tournament will be Pete Carroll of the Raiders and Sean Payton of the Broncos. —Jerry McDonald, Mercury News, 19 Sep. 2025

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