tournament

noun

tour·​na·​ment ˈtu̇r-nə-mənt 

also ˈtər-

or ˈtȯr-

1

: a series of games or contests that make up a single unit of competition (as on a professional golf tour), the championship playoffs of a league or conference, or an invitational event

2

a

: a knightly sport of the Middle Ages between mounted combatants armed with blunted lances or swords and divided into two parties contesting for a prize or favor bestowed by the lady of the tournament

b

: the whole series of knightly sports, jousts, and tilts occurring at one time and place

Synonyms of tournament

• competition
• event
• game
• championship
• match
• contest
• tourney

Examples of tournament in a Sentence

She's an excellent tennis player who has won many tournaments.

a golf tournament in which professionals compete against amateurs

Recent Examples on the Web

Atlanta's state-of-the-art 75,000-seat venue will host five group-stage games, along with one Round of 32 match, a Round of 16 matchup, and one of the tournament's final four showdowns. —Christopher Harris, CBS News, 8 Dec. 2025

On arrival, officials discovered that the incident involved a school bus and an SUV, with CBS News noting that the high school students were returning from a wrestling tournament. —Gabrielle Rockson, PEOPLE, 8 Dec. 2025

The World Cup is taking on a new, 48-country format for next summer’s tournament, which means more matches and more tickets sold. —Chris Biderman, Sacbee.com, 7 Dec. 2025

The Heat then has at least three idle days and up to five idle days before its next game depending on the result of Tuesday’s in-season tournament matchup against the Magic. —Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 7 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English tornement, from Anglo-French turneiement, from turneier

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

Phrases Containing tournament

• pre-tournament

Kids Definition

tournament

noun

tour·​na·​ment ˈtu̇r-nə-mənt 

also ˈtər-

or ˈtȯr-

1

: a contest of skill and courage between knights wearing armor and fighting with blunted lances or swords

2

: a contest or series of contests played for a championship