pageant

noun

pag·​eant ˈpa-jənt 

1

a

: a mere show : pretense

b

: an ostentatious display

2

: show, exhibition

especially : an elaborate colorful exhibition or spectacle often with music that consists of a series of tableaux, of a loosely unified drama, or of a procession usually with floats

3

: pageantry sense 1

Synonyms of pageant

• parade
• presentation
• panorama

Examples of pageant in a Sentence

They disagreed with the pageant judges.

Their church puts on an annual Christmas pageant.

Recent Examples on the Web

After 57 years, the annual pageant moved from Hot Springs to Little Rock after the resort city was unable to accommodate the event. — Arkansas Online, 14 July 2026

When the first place beauty queen commits suicide, her best friend, in order to win the pageant, starts to wear the dead friend’s face. — John Hopewell, Variety, 14 July 2026

Whereas this evening in the Spanish Gothic madhouse of the United Theater, most every song from Melanie’s Hadean pageant is received with near word-perfect communalism. — Matt Thompson, SPIN, 13 July 2026

The reigning international pageant queen, 26, was at the airport when she was approached and asked about the athlete, 23, and her response has gone viral online. — Zoey Lyttle, PEOPLE, 13 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English pagyn, padgeant, literally, scene of a play, from Anglo-French pagine, pagent, from Medieval Latin pagina, perhaps from Latin, page

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

pageant

noun

pag·​eant ˈpaj-ənt 

1

: an impressive exhibition or spectacle

2

: an entertainment consisting of scenes based on history or legend