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cham·pi·on | \ ˈcham-pē-ən 
\
\Definition of champion
(Entry 1 of 2)
1 : a winner of first prize or first place in competition
a tennis champion also : one who shows marked superiority a champion at selling
2 : a militant advocate or defender
a champion of civil rights
4 : one that does battle for another's rights or honor
God will raise me up a champion— Sir Walter Scott
champion
verbchampioned; championing; champions
Definition of champion (Entry 2 of 2)
2 : to protect or fight for as a champion
championed the ladies chivalrously in the tilts
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Synonyms for champion
Synonyms: Noun
Synonyms: Verb
- advocate,
- back,
- endorse
- (also indorse),
- patronize,
- plump (for),
- plunk (for)
- or plonk (for),
- support
Examples of champion in a Sentence
Noun
the heavyweight boxing champion of the world
Our team will play the defending champions next week.
the newly crowned national champions
He was a champion for the working classes. Verb
She is a lawyer who champions children's rights.
Our senator championed the idea of lowering taxes.
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Recent Examples on the Web: Noun The exhibit dovetailed with women’s singles champion Naomi Osaka’s donning of masks during the competition that had the names of Taylor, Tamir Rice and other Black people killed by police.
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Sameer Rao, baltimoresun.com, "Baltimore artist Megan Lewis’ work honoring Black women spotlighted at U.S. Open tennis tournament," 16 Sep. 2020 In 2014, Veritas turned its hidden cameras on Republican state Sen. Mike Ellis of Neenah, a longtime champion of tightening campaign finance laws.
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Patrick Marley, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Wisconsin liberal groups tell attorney general they believe they were targeted by undercover group Project Veritas," 16 Sep. 2020 Ultimately, Carlsen could not match the form of eventual champion Liverpool, which was top of the actual league by the second week of the season and would never be caught.
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Glen Levy, CNN, "Magnus Carlsen has conquered the world of chess. Now he's setting his sights on fantasy football," 16 Sep. 2020 The Patriots are tentatively slated to face state-champion Karr for a second year in a row.
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Christopher Dabe, NOLA.com, "Revised football schedules: Rummel adds St. Thomas More; another Curtis-Karr clash?," 16 Sep. 2020 Wisconsin assistant coach Seth Gross, a former NCAA champion from Apple Valley, against Joe Colon, a bronze medalist at world championships at 57 kg.
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Randy Johnson, Star Tribune, "Gophers wrestler Gable Steveson gears up for Thursday showdown in New York," 16 Sep. 2020 Naomi Osaka, the recent Women’s Singles champion of the 2020 U.S. Open, paid tribute to the basketball legend with a post of herself holding her trophy while wearing a black number 8 Lakers jersey.
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Nina Huang, PEOPLE.com, "The Kobe Bryant Edition of NBA 2K21 Sold Out Instantly Last Week — but It's Back in Stock," 15 Sep. 2020 Two-time reigning Ninth Region champion and state runner-up Highlands girls soccer is 2-0-1, beating archrival Notre Dame on Saturday.
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James Weber, The Enquirer, "First week of Northern Kentucky fall sports; Volleyball, soccer teams serve early notice," 15 Sep. 2020 Murray made play after play with his arm and legs and racked up 321 total yards and two scores in a 24-20 victory against the reigning NFC champion 49ers.
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Lorenzo Reyes, USA TODAY, "NFL Week 1 winners, losers: Cam Newton boosts Patriots, Cowboys unimpressive under Mike McCarthy," 15 Sep. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb His organization emailed supporters, urging them to champion the movie.
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Brian X. Chen, New York Times, "‘Mulan’ 1998: A Moment of Joy and Anxiety for Asian-American Viewers," 4 Sep. 2020 For their part, Democrats continued to champion mail-in ballots to avoid the possibility of coronavirus infections at crowded polling places.
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Gerald F. Seib, WSJ, "Twin Campaign Debates: For Whom Will Americans Vote—and How?," 4 Sep. 2020 The two lawmakers teamed up months earlier to produce and champion the landmark climate change proposal known as the Green New Deal.
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Paul Steinhauser, Fox News, "Kennedy dynasty on the line in Senate primary showdown against AOC-backed Markey," 1 Sep. 2020 Small Unites is a new national advocacy program designed to rally consumers and communities across the country to champion local small businesses during this time.
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Josh Rivera, USA TODAY, "Capital One, GoFundMe and others launch group to support small businesses through a consumer movement," 31 Aug. 2020 This is hardly the first time that Obama and her longtime stylist Meredith Koop have chosen to champion independent brands for public appearances.
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Eliza Huber, refinery29.com, "Michelle Obama’s Vote Necklace Is Going Viral — Here’s Where You Can Buy It," 19 Aug. 2020 Its intent from the start has been to champion how Indiana corns and grains can create a superior whiskey.
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Domenica Bongiovanni, The Indianapolis Star, "West Fork Whiskey plans to build a new restaurant, speakeasy and more in Westfield," 21 Aug. 2020 Bedford, who does not have a disability, founded Women of Color Unite (WOCU) to champion fair access, fair treatment and fair pay for women of color in the entertainment industry.
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Laura Zornosa, chicagotribune.com, "How entertainment professionals with disabilities are fighting for inclusion," 20 Aug. 2020 Amid the onslaught, Huawei continues to defend itself and champion its technology.
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Veta Chan, Fortune, "‘Work to your strength’: Huawei’s CTO weighs in on U.S. efforts to build a Huawei alternative," 20 Aug. 2020
See MoreThese example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'champion.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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Learn More about champion
From the Editors at Merriam-Webster
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Last Updated
19 Sep 2020
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Cite this Entry
“Champion.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/champion. Accessed 20 Sep. 2020.
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More Definitions for champion
champion
nounEnglish Language Learners Definition of champion
(Entry 1 of 2)
: someone or something (such as a team or an animal) that has won a contest or competition especially in sports
: someone who fights or speaks publicly in support of a person, belief, cause, etc.
champion
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of champion (Entry 2 of 2)
: to fight or speak publicly in support of (a person, belief, cause, etc.)
See the full definition for champion in the English Language Learners Dictionary
champion
nouncham·pi·on | \ ˈcham-pē-ən \
\Kids Definition of champion
(Entry 1 of 2)
1 : a person who fights or speaks for another person or in favor of a cause
a champion of equal rights
2 : a person accepted as better than all others in a sport or in a game of skill
3 : the winner of first place in a competition
champion
verbchampioned; championing
Kids Definition of champion (Entry 2 of 2)
: to fight or speak publicly in support of
championing a cause
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Time Traveler for champion
The first known use of champion was in the 13th century
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