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

Much of the season is given over, as in the show’s first iteration, to the round-robin-style hookups and breakups taking place among the young and largely attractive staff. —Naomi Fry, New Yorker, 21 Feb. 2026

Honeymoons and wellness retreats Team Canada switched out Ben Hebert for alternate Tyler Tardi in its last round-robin game Thursday, hoping to give the star player a rest ahead of the semifinals and final. —Julia Frankel, Chicago Tribune, 19 Feb. 2026

The start of the final round of women's curling round-robin matches will be delayed by 25 minutes, with World Curling confirming the snow in Cortina is causing delays for the teams to reach the venue. —Sean Nevin, NBC news, 19 Feb. 2026

Both teams had also played earlier in the Games, with Team USA winning the round-robin clash 5-0. —Ben Church, CNN Money, 19 Feb. 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