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

• 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 bottom line: There’s a reason that the typical American sports fan still thinks a round-robin upset from 1980 is the most important hockey game ever played. —Sean McIndoe, New York Times, 25 July 2025

Waterbury now faces host Southington, the third team in the round-robin, today at 5 p.m. —Lori Riley, Hartford Courant, 13 July 2025

There are good reasons to add Memphis as the ninth football-playing school, with the schedule atop the list: The Pac-12 could play eight conference games in standard round-robin format. —Jon Wilner, Mercury News, 3 July 2025

Scheduled for February 2028, the WCH 2028, an eight-nation tournament, is expected to feature round-robin and quarterfinal games in two host cities, with the semifinals and championship game currently anticipated to take place in one of those cities, subject to final host city selection. —Sportico Staff, Sportico.com, 27 June 2025

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