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
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
Fans planning to watch Lionel Messi and Argentina in the Copa America tournament this summer should expect to pay top dollar.
—
Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 23 Apr. 2024
Previously, teams with a slight lead in the waning minutes of the fourth quarter would often run a clock-kill offense, especially in the state tournament.
—Kyle Newman, The Denver Post, 23 Apr. 2024
Scheffler now has 10 titles on the PGA Tour in a span of 51 tournaments dating to his first victory in the 2022 Phoenix Open.
—Doug Ferguson, Twin Cities, 22 Apr. 2024
And there is one very obvious problem with it: The vast sums of money the tournament is expected to generate for the 24 teams taking part seems like the sort of windfall that might hugely distort domestic tournaments, particularly in Asia, Africa and South America.
—Rory Smith, New York Times, 19 Apr. 2024
Torrey Pines will host Poway next week, play in a loaded Redondo Union tournament this weekend and then most likely get the top seed in the Open Division with Cathedral Catholic, Del Norte and the Titans at their heels.
—Tim Meehan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Apr. 2024
Alayna has always been supportive of Tony's golf career and is often in the crowd during his tournaments.
—Emily Strohm, Peoplemag, 18 Apr. 2024
Idaho State reached the Big Sky Conference tournament this season.
—Dan Albano, Orange County Register, 17 Apr. 2024
This session’s tournament will be round-robin format, with each competitor playing in turns against each other.
—Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Apr. 2024
Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 23 Apr. 2024
Previously, teams with a slight lead in the waning minutes of the fourth quarter would often run a clock-kill offense, especially in the state tournament.
—Kyle Newman, The Denver Post, 23 Apr. 2024
Scheffler now has 10 titles on the PGA Tour in a span of 51 tournaments dating to his first victory in the 2022 Phoenix Open.
—Doug Ferguson, Twin Cities, 22 Apr. 2024
And there is one very obvious problem with it: The vast sums of money the tournament is expected to generate for the 24 teams taking part seems like the sort of windfall that might hugely distort domestic tournaments, particularly in Asia, Africa and South America.
—Rory Smith, New York Times, 19 Apr. 2024
Torrey Pines will host Poway next week, play in a loaded Redondo Union tournament this weekend and then most likely get the top seed in the Open Division with Cathedral Catholic, Del Norte and the Titans at their heels.
—Tim Meehan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Apr. 2024
Alayna has always been supportive of Tony's golf career and is often in the crowd during his tournaments.
—Emily Strohm, Peoplemag, 18 Apr. 2024
Idaho State reached the Big Sky Conference tournament this season.
—Dan Albano, Orange County Register, 17 Apr. 2024
This session’s tournament will be round-robin format, with each competitor playing in turns against each other.
—Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tournament.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Articles Related to tournament
Dictionary Entries Near tournament
Cite this Entry
“Tournament.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tournament. Accessed 27 Apr. 2024.
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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share