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

The Dominican team will participate in round-robin play in Pool D. —Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 30 Jan. 2026

With the trip now secured, Harry and his wife, Ben’s stepmom, are making plans to watch Ben compete in the round-robin games and the semifinals. —Jordan Greene, PEOPLE, 29 Jan. 2026

With that effort, Kouts has taken a significant step toward winning its first PCC round-robin title since 2021 by defeating Washington Township on Friday. —Michael Osipoff, Chicago Tribune, 20 Jan. 2026

The teams then play a round-robin of 12-minute games, with the top two teams advancing to the final 12-minute championship game. —Broderick Turner, Los Angeles Times, 19 Jan. 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