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

Argentina was held scoreless across the four-team, round-robin tournament and finished last. —ABC News, 7 Mar. 2026

Las Vegas Raiders minority owner and Fox analyst Tom Brady partnered with the chairman of the Saudi General Entertainment Authority to announce the three-team, round-robin event last September. —Dianna Russini, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2026

Eight teams will advance after the round-robin pool play to set up a single-elimination bracket for the remainder of the tournament. —Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 5 Mar. 2026

Those teams will play a round-robin tournament, with every team playing each other once. —Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 4 Mar. 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