semifinal

adjective semi·fi·nal \ ˌse-mē-ˈfī-nᵊl , ˌse-ˌmī- , -mi- \

|Updated on: 20 Jul 2018

Definition of semifinal

1 : being next to the last in an elimination tournament

2 : of or participating in a semifinal

Recent Examples of semifinal from the Web

Wednesday's game was English men's first World Cup semifinal appearance since 1990.

— NBC News, "England fans proud despite World Cup semifinal loss to Croatia," 12 July 2018
Michael Steele/Getty Images Serena Williams is heading into the semifinal round at Wimbledon this week.

— michelle garcia, Vox, "Serena Williams, working mom hero," 11 July 2018
Saturday's semifinal opponent, Louisiana-Lafayette, swept UTA this season, winning 77-65 and 100-79.

— bailey arredondo, star-telegram, "Erick Neal's blistering start spurs UTA into Sun Belt semifinal round | Fort Worth Star-Telegram," 9 Mar. 2018
Abbott and Harbilas led CdM with two goals each in the semifinal loss to Dos Pueblos, and Tharp had six saves.

— matt szabo, latimes.com, "Laguna Beach girls’ water polo denied in Irvine SoCal final by Dos Pueblos," 4 Feb. 2018
The 6-foot-3, 185-pounder helped the Rangers go undefeated last season until the state semifinal loss to Livonia Franklin.

— kirkland crawford, Detroit Free Press, "Michigan State football: GR Forest Hills Central's Tate Hallock commits," 23 June 2018
Someone was kind enough to schedule the quarterfinal and semifinal matches to start at 11 a.m. our time.

— brittany martin, Los Angeles Magazine, "Where to Watch the World Cup in L.A. (Even the Really Early Games)," 11 June 2018
Region quarterfinal and semifinal games in Class 9A-5A will be played on Wednesday and Saturday followed by region finals on Tuesday.

— j.c. carnahan, OrlandoSentinel.com, "New FHSAA baseball region tournament format welcomed with open arms," 5 June 2018
Fredericksburg split two games against Kerrville Tivy, which is ranked fourth in the state in Class 5A and preparing for its own regional semifinal series.

— adam zuvanich, San Antonio Express-News, "Small-town Fredericksburg team big on talent," 23 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'semifinal.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of semifinal

1884

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

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semifinal

noun semi·fi·nal \ ˈse-mē-ˌfī-nᵊl , ˈse-ˌmī- , -mi- \

Definition of semifinal

1 : a semifinal match

2 : a semifinal round

—

semifinalist

play \ˌse-mē-ˈfī-nᵊl-ist, ˌse-ˌmī-, -mi-\ noun

See semifinal defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of semifinal from the Web

There were trying circumstances, as longtime assistant coach Dave Huntley died in December and a senior captain’s father died the morning of the semifinal game.

— glenn graham, baltimoresun.com, "2018 All-Metro boys lacrosse Coach of the Year: Bryan Kelly, Calvert Hall," 4 July 2018
Instead, those teams will have a week off after their semifinal games.

— richard obert, azcentral, "Arizona high school state football championships return to ASU's Sun Devil Stadium," 25 June 2018
The undefeated Americans will face the winner of a semifinal game between Canada and Puerto Rico.

— beth bragg, Anchorage Daily News, "Kamaka Hepa gets golden opportunity with US basketball team," 16 June 2018
Andrew had previously gone 0-9 in sectional semifinal games, including 0-7 under Zolk.

— steve millar, Daily Southtown, "Andrew's Loren Zolk is the 2018 Daily Southtown Girls Soccer Coach of the Year," 13 June 2018
Jones held a 17-0 lead over Clearwater in a tournament semifinal game but wound up allowing the Tornadoes right back in it.

— chris hays, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Orlando Jones falls in Final 4 at USF Sling & Shoot; Harmony makes Final 8," 11 June 2018
On Friday, the Roadrunners were an out away from getting out of the fifth in a scoreless semifinal game.

— paul johnson, chicagotribune.com, "Nazareth recovers from tough semifinal loss to claim third place in Class 3A," 9 June 2018
The Spartans missed a key senior in the game, Colin Whitford, who injured his knee in the previous semifinal game against East Catholic and had to sit.

— joe burns, courant.com, "Boys Lacrosse: Somers Falls Short In Bid For Third Straight Title," 9 June 2018
The Falcons’ bats woke up late to rally and down the Warriors, 2-1, in a Division 2 state softball semifinal game Friday night at the University of Wisconsin's Goodman Diamond.

— curt hogg, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "WIAA softball: Whitnall rallies to reach Division 2 title game," 8 June 2018

First Known Use of semifinal

1895

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

SEMIFINAL Defined for English Language Learners

semifinal

noun

Definition of semifinal for English Language Learners

: either one of two matches, games, or contests to decide which people or teams will be in the final part of a competition (such as a series of races or a tennis tournament)