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

• colloquy
• conference
• council
• forum
• panel
• panel discussion
• parley
• roundtable
• seminar
• symposium

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

With that approach, Kaufman is a captain for the Wolves, who last season won both the Porter County Conference round-robin and tournament titles and their first sectional championship since 2019. —Michael Osipoff, Chicago Tribune, 10 Apr. 2025

The teams will play in a round-robin format, with each team playing the remaining four teams in the pool. —Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 9 Apr. 2025

Each conference comprises four teams that will compete in a double round-robin format during the group phase. —Sindiswa Mabunda, Forbes.com, 5 Apr. 2025

Tkachuk suffered an injury during Team U.S.A.’s final round-robin game against Team Sweden. —Julian McKenzie, The Athletic, 23 Mar. 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