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
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
Overall, the tournament’s prize purse will top $90 million – the largest in tennis history and a 20% increase on last year, which stood at $75 million.
—
George Ramsay, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2025
Dell said expanding the players' facilities, including adding more practice courts, was key in keeping the players on site throughout the tournament.
—Sydney Franklin, The Enquirer, 7 Aug. 2025
Ranked 85th before the tournament, the teenager will break into the Top 40 regardless of her result in the final.
—Manasi Pathak, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2025
In order to make those adjustments work financially, the singles winner’s prize was reduced from $3.85 million in 2019 to $2.5 million in 2021, a change that the tournament has been gradually undoing over the past several years.
—Lev Akabas, Sportico.com, 6 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tournament
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George Ramsay, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2025
Dell said expanding the players' facilities, including adding more practice courts, was key in keeping the players on site throughout the tournament.
—Sydney Franklin, The Enquirer, 7 Aug. 2025
Ranked 85th before the tournament, the teenager will break into the Top 40 regardless of her result in the final.
—Manasi Pathak, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2025
In order to make those adjustments work financially, the singles winner’s prize was reduced from $3.85 million in 2019 to $2.5 million in 2021, a change that the tournament has been gradually undoing over the past several years.
—Lev Akabas, Sportico.com, 6 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tournament
Cite this Entry
“Tournament.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tournament. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
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