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

Flores Gómez previously competed in beauty pageants and was crowned Miss Teen Universe Baja California in 2017. —Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 23 Apr. 2026

She was born and raised in New Jersey and even competed in the Miss New Jersey USA pageant. —Katie Mannion, PEOPLE, 20 Apr. 2026

The pageant included the Horsemanship portion at the Fred Grand Arena on April 10 and the selections and coronation on April 11 at Olive Peirce. —Regina Elling, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Apr. 2026

These 34 comedies streaming across the internet satirize global issues like nuclear war, cultural trends like beauty pageants, and leave no stone unturned in their quest to make life's toughest stuff more emotionally palatable. —Debby Wolfinsohn, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Apr. 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