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

However, for all its benefits, pageants have not been without their controversies. —Laura Lane, Peoplemag, 2 Apr. 2024

Rodeo Queens often don titled sashes and cowboy hats procured from pageant contests, like Miss Rodeo Texas. —Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 28 Mar. 2024

And because the state tournament games are broadcast by KSTP, a local ABC affiliate, pregame introductions have morphed into a sort of pageant to determine who can out-mullet their peers. —Scott Cacciola, New York Times, 14 Mar. 2024

The children of Hollywood executive José and former pageant queen Kitty, Lyle and Erik were born into wealth and privilege. —Jessica Sager, Peoplemag, 3 Apr. 2024

She was born to a Lebanese father and a native Colombian mother and raised in a country where beauty pageants are a big deal. —Patricia Alfonso Tortolani, Allure, 1 Apr. 2024

The current queen is Hannah Neeleman, a homesteading mother of eight, who milks cows, bakes, dances, and takes part in beauty pageants, to the delight and incomprehension of her followers. —Sophie Elmhirst, The New Yorker, 29 Mar. 2024

In the 1930s, the venue held dances three nights a week, with beauty pageants and the occasional standathon, an endurance standing contest popular in the Great Depression. —Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 25 Mar. 2024

Palm Royale, which stars Kristin Wiig as a beauty pageant queen who marries up, sets its sights on Palm Beach society. —Vogue, 21 Mar. 2024

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