round-robin

noun

round-rob·​in ˈrau̇nd-ˌrä-bən 

1

a

: a written petition, memorial, or protest to which the signatures are affixed in a circle so as not to indicate who signed first

b

: a statement signed by several persons

c

: something (such as a letter) sent in turn to the members of a group each of whom signs and forwards it sometimes after adding comment

2

: roundtable sense 1

3

: a tournament in which every contestant meets every other contestant in turn

4

: series, round

Synonyms of round-robin

• seminar
• symposium
• conference
• panel

Examples of round-robin in a Sentence

a round-robin to discuss the epidemic of performance-enhancing drugs plaguing professional sports

Recent Examples on the Web

This tournament will use a round-robin format, with the top two teams from that playing a 10-minute final for a $2 million prize. —Matt Reigle Outkick, FOXNews.com, 2 June 2026

Kitchener won all four games in Kelowna, also beating Everett 6-2 in round-robin play. —ABC News, 31 May 2026

Within a few days, Rachel had set up a round-robin of friends, and even three of my friends' husbands, who would drive me to Maine Med in Portland for my daily appointments and then drive me back home. —Caitlin Shetterly, PEOPLE, 17 May 2026

But with eight schools in 2026, each team will play a seven-game round-robin schedule to determine the order-of-finish and a second game against one of the other teams that won’t count in the standings. —Jon Wilner, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

from the name Robin

First Known Use

1698, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for round-robin

• globin
• haemoglobin
• hemoglobin
• myoglobin

Kids Definition

round-robin

noun

ˈrau̇n-ˌdräb-ən

1

: a letter (as of protest) whose signers put their signatures in a circle so the receiver cannot tell who signed first

2

: a tournament in which every contestant plays once against every other contestant