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
Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 29 Jan. 2026
Boise State also forfeited its conference tournament semifinal match to the Spartans.
—Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 28 Jan. 2026
Caleb Yum, Austin American Statesman, 23 Jan. 2026
Harvard beat New Hampshire and UConn in the NCAA Tournament before losing to Princeton in the semifinals.
—John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Jan. 2026
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Adjective
From there, a bracket is established with a set of quarterfinal, semifinal and championship matchups.
—Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 29 Jan. 2026
Boise State also forfeited its conference tournament semifinal match to the Spartans.
—Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 28 Jan. 2026
Noun
His best year came in 2023, when the edge rusher collected 41 tackles and 5½ sacks as Texas made the College Football Playoff semifinals.
—Caleb Yum, Austin American Statesman, 23 Jan. 2026
Harvard beat New Hampshire and UConn in the NCAA Tournament before losing to Princeton in the semifinals.
—John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for semifinal
Cite this Entry
“Semifinal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/semifinal. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationKids 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
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