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tournament

noun

tour·​na·​ment ˈtu̇r-nə-mənt How to pronounce tournament (audio)
also ˈtər-
or ˈtȯr-
Synonyms of tournamentnext
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In the tournament’s 96-year history, host countries have almost always staged games in their capitals. Henry Bushnell, New York Times, 2 Dec. 2025 With five weeks left in the regular season, the gate to the Super Bowl tournament is as wide as a football field, and none of the division leaders seem as imposing as recent champs such as the Eagles, Chiefs and Buccaneers. Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Dec. 2025 Given the kid’s natural salesmanship, Murray wants to make his nephew store manager, but Marty just wants to collect the salary he’s owed and fly to London to compete in the championship table tennis tournament. David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 1 Dec. 2025 But Jovic hoped the downs were behind him after a productive offseason that included an impressive run with the Serbian national team at the EuroBasket tournament. Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 1 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for tournament

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of tournament was in the 13th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Tournament.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tournament. Accessed 8 Dec. 2025.

Kids Definition

tournament

noun
tour·​na·​ment ˈtu̇r-nə-mənt How to pronounce tournament (audio)
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

More from Merriam-Webster on tournament

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