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

• cavalcade

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

One of Hudson's competitors will be trans model Isabelle St. Cyr. St. Cyr will be the first openly trans contestant in the pageant's history after previously winning the local Miss Monson USA pageant in the Maine town of Monson. —Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 16 Apr. 2025

The day's festivities included a pageant commemorating the land runs of 1889 and 1893. —Elizabeth Blair, NPR, 2 Apr. 2025

The film will delve into the human side of incarceration, following women with complex pasts who discover resilience, hope and camaraderie through an unlikely source, a prison beauty pageant. —Jamie Lang, Variety, 2 Apr. 2025

The makeup artist reportedly identifies as gay and works at beauty pageants. —Cate Martel, The Hill, 1 Apr. 2025

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