tournament

noun

tour·​na·​ment ˈtu̇r-nə-mənt How to pronounce tournament (audio)
 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
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.
After hearing that a transgender woman from Wagner College in New York competed in a women’s fencing tournament at the University of Maryland last month, the head of the OCR launched a special investigation into both schools and threatened their access to federal funding. Jennifer Smith Richards, ProPublica, 2 May 2025 The 2025 edition of the tournament was played at Torrey Pines because Riviera Country Club was damaged by wildfires earlier this year. Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 2 May 2025 In 2005-06, when the tournament was named the UEFA Cup, Middlesbrough reached the final while toiling in the league’s bottom half, finishing 14th. Elias Burke, New York Times, 2 May 2025 Earlier this month, a 19-year-old trans fencer named Red Sullivan became the center of yet another anti-trans sporting firestorm when her opponent, 31-year-old Stephanie Turner, knelt down and intentionally disqualified herself from a Maryland tournament rather than compete against a trans athlete. Samantha Riedel, Them., 1 May 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 7 May. 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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