1
as in parade
a staged presentation often with music that consists of a procession of narrated or enacted scenes
we always put on a Christmas pageant every year
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in exhibit
an elaborate, visually exciting show or event
an annual summertime pageant depicting the town's founding and colorful early history
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pageant
Before competing on Big Brother season 24, Hale won Miss Michigan USA and Miss Congeniality in Miss USA 2021, which became a point of contention when her fellow competitors bullied her for coming off as too much of a pageant queen.
—
Bethy Squires, Vulture, 6 May 2026
The nearly 100-year-old tradition is celebrated with pageants at schools and other festivities.
—Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 1 May 2026
The annual pageant is sponsored by the Oceanside Sea Lions, which is part of Lions International.
—Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 May 2026
Founded in the Bay Area in 1965, the organization hosts drag pageants to raise funds for the LGBTQ+ community, namely to help those contending with HIV/AIDS and homelessness.
—Nicole MacIas Garibay, Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pageant
Bethy Squires, Vulture, 6 May 2026
The nearly 100-year-old tradition is celebrated with pageants at schools and other festivities.
—Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 1 May 2026
The annual pageant is sponsored by the Oceanside Sea Lions, which is part of Lions International.
—Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 May 2026
Founded in the Bay Area in 1965, the organization hosts drag pageants to raise funds for the LGBTQ+ community, namely to help those contending with HIV/AIDS and homelessness.
—Nicole MacIas Garibay, Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pageant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pageant
Noun
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The pop auteur emerged shortly after, leading a funeral procession–style parade of dancers and an eight-piece brass band performing somber, New Orleans–style jazz renditions of songs from her 2025 album Mayhem.—
Maxwell Adler,
Vanity Fair,
15 May 2026
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There will also be an art show and a fursuit parade.—
Finch Walker,
USA Today,
15 May 2026
Noun
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This cultural event features a weekend full of authentic Greek cuisine, live music and cultural exhibits.—
Kayla Rivera,
AJC.com,
12 May 2026
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Below, Variety presents an exclusive set of images from the exhibit, including handwritten lyrics, original artwork, tour memorabilia and photos.—
Jem Aswad,
Variety,
12 May 2026
Noun
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While eating at the company cafe after the presentation, Otone and Kensuke meet a child version of a humanoid who’s been brought back to REbirth HQ for maintenance.—
Vulture,
Vulture,
17 May 2026
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In a presentation for young athletes — and for the pro teams and college athletic departments that might invite him to speak — Stripling’s firm uses his story of a baseball prospect that got a $900,000 up-front payment and spent the $500,000 after taxes on a red Lamborghini.—
Bill Shaikin,
Los Angeles Times,
17 May 2026
Noun
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Despite strong critical support, it was allotted limited showtimes and minimal exhibition backing — a situation its makers came to see as emblematic of wider structural failures confronting Indian indie cinema.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
16 May 2026
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Important people speaking at exhibition openings will tell you that art is about communication.—
Sebastian Smee,
The Atlantic,
16 May 2026
Noun
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The five NanaWall glass systems are 11 feet tall, a kind of scale that lands differently when it’s paired with a Bay panorama that changes by the hour.—
David Caraccio
May 11,
Sacbee.com,
11 May 2026
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The Bernina Express winds through striking Alpine scenery before descending into warm, sunlit Mediterranean landscapes, revealing a stunning panorama that feels almost cinematic.—
Taryn White,
Travel + Leisure,
4 May 2026
Noun
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The performance in German and English is on all levels the kind of theatrical spectacle that makes Broadway seem like a dying street in Nowheresville.—
Classical Music Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
11 May 2026
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By pairing Eilish with Cameron in all the marketing, the hope was maybe that the film would appeal not just to concert fans but to more casual film fans who know Cameron can deliver a spectacle.—
Brian Welk,
IndieWire,
11 May 2026
Noun
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PragueReuters — An unknown thief snatched an 800-year-old skull believed to be of Saint Zdislava of Lemberk from a display box in a church in the northern Czech Republic and ran away with the relic, police said on Wednesday.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
13 May 2026
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Judges will stop by on June 24 to view decorations and displays.—
Julie Gallant,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 May 2026
Noun
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And 2026 is already off to a bright start, with a buzzy debut novel from Jennette McCurdy, plenty of celebrity memoirs and sci-fi spectaculars.—
Clare Mulroy,
USA Today,
28 Mar. 2026
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Nothing this spectacular happens by accident.—
Jordan Robinson,
SELF,
19 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pageant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pageant. Accessed 18 May. 2026.
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