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

During and after high school, Sarah had been a good student, an aspiring model and a beauty pageant winner. —Josh Yager, CBS News, 4 Oct. 2024

In her rookie year as a pageant contestant, Drake was crowned Miss for America Strong 2024. —Zoey Lyttle, People.com, 1 Oct. 2024

National-level Miss Universe pageants, although not all directly administered by the Miss Universe Organization, were obliged to follow suit. —Oscar Holland, CNN, 28 Sep. 2024

Weekend events have varied over the years but have included a coach’s luncheon, a pageant coronation, a prayer and praise worship service, a parade, a pep rally, musical performances, a battle of the bands event, an education day and the football game. —Jade Jackson, The Indianapolis Star, 28 Sep. 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