semi·fi·nal
ˌse-mē-ˈfī-nᵊl 
ˌse-ˌmī-,
-mi-
1
: being next to the last in an elimination tournament
2
: of or participating in a semifinal
Examples of semifinal in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Town & Country, 9 Sep. 2023
The world’s best player is one step closer to defending his U.S. Open title, as Carlos Alcaraz faces off against Daniil Medvedev today in a men’s semifinal matchup at the Grand Slam tennis tournament.
—Tim Chan, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Sep. 2023
The other women’s semifinal, between Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus and Madison Keys of the United States, began shortly after Gauff’s victory finished.
—Brian Mahoney, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2023
McEnroe edges Connors in the semifinal, 6-4, 5-7, 0-6, 6-3, 7-6 (3) in front of a packed Louis Armstrong Stadium.
1991 — A pair of teenagers play a level of tennis beyond their years in a women’s semifinal match at the U.S. Open.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2023
The 19-year-old American reached her first U.S. Open semifinal round after rolling past Jelena Ostapenko 6-0, 6-2 in a quarterfinal match Tuesday.
—oregonlive, 5 Sep. 2023
The other semifinal pits Houston Dynamo against Real Salt Lake.
—Tim Chan, Variety, 23 Aug. 2023
Before the semifinal match, Nike orchestrated a Power of the Collective panel, focusing on advancing the future of women’s sports.
—Ruhama Wolle, Glamour, 30 Aug. 2023
Richardson, a Dallas native, qualified for the 200-meter final at the world championships in Budapest, Hungary, on Thursday after finishing second in her semifinal race with a time of 22.20 seconds.
—Sportsday Staff, Dallas News, 24 Aug. 2023
Kaylee Remington, cleveland, 12 Sep. 2023
Russia's Daniil Medvedev returns the ball to Spain's Carlos Alcaraz during a U.S. Open men's singles semifinal in New York City on Friday.
—David K. Li, NBC News, 10 Sep. 2023
Medvedev earned the chance to stop him by knocking off defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinals.
—Mark Heim | Mheim@al.com, al, 10 Sep. 2023
In the semifinals, Gauff beat Karolina Muchova 6-4, 7-5.
—Jesus Jiménez, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2023
Sabalenka, 25, the No. 2 seed, reached the semifinals of the U.S. Open in 2021 and 2022.
—Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 9 Sep. 2023
In one scenario the Wave would play both the semifinals and final at home
Sept. 9, 2023 9:27 AM PT
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The Wave would do well to keep the sports blinders attached.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Sep. 2023
The competitors have yet to be determined: In the men's semifinals this afternoon, American 20-year-old Ben Shelton and Novak Djokovic will battle for one spot, and tonight, defending champion Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev will face off for the other.
—Town & Country, 8 Sep. 2023
Medvedev, a 27-year-old Russian seeded No. 3, said after eliminating Andrey Rublev 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 to reach the semifinals at Flushing Meadows for the fourth time.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 7 Sep. 2023
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Adjective
Following her semifinal win, Corey came running down to the box celebrate with his wife and his daughter's team.
—Town & Country, 9 Sep. 2023
The world’s best player is one step closer to defending his U.S. Open title, as Carlos Alcaraz faces off against Daniil Medvedev today in a men’s semifinal matchup at the Grand Slam tennis tournament.
—Tim Chan, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Sep. 2023
The other women’s semifinal, between Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus and Madison Keys of the United States, began shortly after Gauff’s victory finished.
—Brian Mahoney, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2023
McEnroe edges Connors in the semifinal, 6-4, 5-7, 0-6, 6-3, 7-6 (3) in front of a packed Louis Armstrong Stadium.
1991 — A pair of teenagers play a level of tennis beyond their years in a women’s semifinal match at the U.S. Open.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2023
The 19-year-old American reached her first U.S. Open semifinal round after rolling past Jelena Ostapenko 6-0, 6-2 in a quarterfinal match Tuesday.
—oregonlive, 5 Sep. 2023
The other semifinal pits Houston Dynamo against Real Salt Lake.
—Tim Chan, Variety, 23 Aug. 2023
Before the semifinal match, Nike orchestrated a Power of the Collective panel, focusing on advancing the future of women’s sports.
—Ruhama Wolle, Glamour, 30 Aug. 2023
Richardson, a Dallas native, qualified for the 200-meter final at the world championships in Budapest, Hungary, on Thursday after finishing second in her semifinal race with a time of 22.20 seconds.
—Sportsday Staff, Dallas News, 24 Aug. 2023
Noun
The football club now has a massive following, even after losing the semifinal in the series premiere season.
—Kaylee Remington, cleveland, 12 Sep. 2023
Russia's Daniil Medvedev returns the ball to Spain's Carlos Alcaraz during a U.S. Open men's singles semifinal in New York City on Friday.
—David K. Li, NBC News, 10 Sep. 2023
Medvedev earned the chance to stop him by knocking off defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinals.
—Mark Heim | Mheim@al.com, al, 10 Sep. 2023
In the semifinals, Gauff beat Karolina Muchova 6-4, 7-5.
—Jesus Jiménez, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2023
Sabalenka, 25, the No. 2 seed, reached the semifinals of the U.S. Open in 2021 and 2022.
—Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 9 Sep. 2023
In one scenario the Wave would play both the semifinals and final at home
Sept. 9, 2023 9:27 AM PT
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Show more sharing options
The Wave would do well to keep the sports blinders attached.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Sep. 2023
The competitors have yet to be determined: In the men's semifinals this afternoon, American 20-year-old Ben Shelton and Novak Djokovic will battle for one spot, and tonight, defending champion Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev will face off for the other.
—Town & Country, 8 Sep. 2023
Medvedev, a 27-year-old Russian seeded No. 3, said after eliminating Andrey Rublev 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 to reach the semifinals at Flushing Meadows for the fourth time.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 7 Sep. 2023
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'semifinal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Dictionary Entries Near semifinal
Cite this Entry
“Semifinal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/semifinal. Accessed 23 Sep. 2023.
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Kids Definition
semifinal
1 of 2 adjective
semi·fi·nal
ˌsem-i-ˈfīn-ᵊl
1
: coming before the final round in a tournament
2
: of or taking part in a semifinal
More from Merriam-Webster on semifinal
Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for semifinal
Nglish: Translation of semifinal for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of semifinal for Arabic Speakers
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