champion

noun cham·pi·on \ ˈcham-pē-ən \

Definition of champion

1 :warrior, fighter

a champion of his king

2 :a militant advocate or defender

a champion of civil rights

3 :one that does battle for another's rights or honor

God will raise me up a champion
—Sir Walter Scott

4 :a winner of first prize or first place in competition

a tennis champion

; also :one who shows marked superiority

a champion at selling

See champion defined for English-language learners

See champion defined for kids

Examples of champion in a Sentence

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.

Recent Examples of champion from the Web

In the 14 and under category, Shriya Challam was the champion and Sean Tracy the finalist.

— michelle mullins, Naperville Sun, "Naperville People in the News," 30 Aug. 2017
If Auburn is looking past this game to next week's trip to reigning national champion Clemson, the Tigers could be in for a rude awakening.

— kevin scarbinsky, AL.com, "AL.com All-Access: Welcome to maybe the best opening week this state's ever seen," 28 Aug. 2017
Rep. Duncan Hunter, one of Donald Trump’s first allies in Congress, described the new president in profane terms to a group of Republicans on Friday, but also touted the president as their champion.

— joshua stewart, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Rep. Duncan Hunter gives President Trump a profane compliment," 28 Aug. 2017
State champion Soren Knudsen of Minooka has moved on to NCAA power Northern Arizona.

— tim tierney, Daily Southtown, "Boys cross country preview: Dylan Jacobs looks to put Sandburg in lead," 28 Aug. 2017
Quarterback Tom Brady of the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots is on the cover.

— david humphrey, star-telegram, "Have you picked up your Madden NFL 18 video game yet?," 25 Aug. 2017
Four-division world champion Miguel Cotto will fight Yoshihiro Kamegai for the vacant WBO junior-middleweight title at the StubHub Center in Carson, California.

— santos a. perez, miamiherald, "Boxing purists face a choice," 20 Aug. 2017
Bannon, 63, the chief executive of Trump’s presidential campaign and an architect of his election victory, was the leading champion of conservative populism within the administration.

— justin sink, Bloomberg.com, "Bannon Ousted From White House Amid Furor Over Trump Remarks," 18 Aug. 2017
In the Pacific League race, Acadia is the defending champion.

— jeff tully, Burbank Leader, "Girls’ Tennis Preview: Burbank looks to stay among league’s top teams," 18 Aug. 2017

These 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.

Origin and Etymology of champion

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin campion-, campio, of West Germanic origin; akin to Old English cempa warrior

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First Known Use: 13th century

See Words from the same year

champion Synonyms

Synonyms

champ, titleholder, titlist, victor, winner

Antonyms

adversary, antagonist, opponent

Related Words

cochampion, cowinner; placer; finalist, quarterfinalist, semifinalist; medalist (or medallist), prizewinner; megastar, star, superstar; world-beater

Near Antonyms

loser

champion

verb

Definition of champion

transitive verb

1 archaic :challenge, defy

2 :to protect or fight for as a champion

championed the ladies chivalrously in the tilts

3 :to act as militant supporter of :uphold, advocate

always champions the cause of the underdog

See champion defined for English-language learners

Examples of champion in a Sentence

She is a lawyer who champions children's rights.
Our senator championed the idea of lowering taxes.

Recent Examples of champion from the Web

Committed to inspiring and championing modern Latino storytellers, El Rey Studios gives voice to creators with bold and imaginative visions that defy convention.

— posted jim varsallone, miamiherald, "Joey Ryan, feud of sons on Lucha Underground on El Rey Network," 29 Aug. 2017
All the political parties went into the election promising to champion lifelong learning.

— The Economist, "LettersLetters to the editor," 20 July 2017
Williams regularly champions the team, touting the sport's All-American, family-friendly appeal and its ability to inspire children.

— lawrence specker, AL.com, "BayBears to Huntsville? There may be a pitch, but there are a few innings left to play," 19 July 2017
The canal, which turned 200 years old last Tuesday, was championed by a man who was as stubborn as a mule: Dewitt Clinton, a mayor of New York City who became governor of the state.

— CBS News, "All hail the Erie Canal," 9 July 2017
Williams said that Liquor Barn wanted to partner with Forecastle to reach a younger demographic and raise money for the Forecastle Foundation, which champions environmental causes.

— jeffrey lee puckett, The Courier-Journal, "Forecastle Festival partners with Louisville businesses for economic sustainability that goes both ways," 6 July 2017
Back before Buffy and Katniss, Besson was one of the only directors championing stories with women as action leads.

— adam rogers, WIRED, "Luc Besson Tests the Outer Limits With Sci-Fi Epic Valerian," 6 July 2017
The first was President Dwight Eisenhower, who championed the notion of continental superhighways before signing, in 1956, the law that authorized the Interstate Highway System.

— joel engel, WSJ, "California’s Rise and Fall, From One Gov. Brown to Another," 30 June 2017
The latest S-class introduced Mercedes’ progressive and opulent interiors, Audi’s A8 champions intuitive tech, and the Cadillac CT6 is the driver’s choice.

— eric tingwall, Car and Driver, "2016 BMW 740i," 16 June 2017

First Known Use of champion

circa 1616

champion Synonyms

Synonyms

advocate, back, support, endorse (also indorse), patronize, plump (for), plunk (for) or plonk (for)

Related Words

adopt, embrace, espouse; abet, aid, assist, help, prop (up), second, side (with); backstop, bolster, boost, buttress, reinforce (also reenforce); advance, forward, further; plug, preach, talk up; bail out, deliver, rescue, save

Near Antonyms

baffle, foil, frustrate, interfere, oppose, sabotage, thwart; desert, disappoint, fail, let down

Synonym Discussion of champion

support, uphold, advocate, back, champion mean to favor actively one that meets opposition. support is least explicit about the nature of the assistance given.

- supports waterfront development

uphold implies extended support given to something attacked.

- upheld the legitimacy of the military action

advocate stresses urging or pleading.

- advocated prison reform

back suggests supporting by lending assistance to one failing or falling.

- refusing to back the call for sanctions

champion suggests publicly defending one unjustly attacked or too weak to advocate his or her own cause.

- championed the rights of children

CHAMPION Defined for Kids

champion

noun cham·pi·on \ ˈcham-pē-ən \

Definition of champion for Students

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

verb

Definition of champion for Students

championed; championing

:to fight or speak publicly in support of

championing a cause

Learn More about champion

See words that rhyme with champion Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for champion Spanish Central: Translation of champion Nglish: Translation of champion for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of champion for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about champion

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champion

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Origin and Etymology of champion

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Synonyms

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champion

Definition of champion

Examples of champion in a Sentence

Recent Examples of champion from the Web

First Known Use of champion

champion Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

Synonym Discussion of champion

CHAMPION Defined for Kids

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champion

Definition of champion for Students

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