1
as in parades
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 exhibits
an elaborate, visually exciting show or event
an annual summertime pageant depicting the town's founding and colorful early history
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of pageants
Itsaragrisil’s firm, which also owns and operates other beauty pageants including Miss Grand International, recently acquired shares from former Miss Universe director Anne Jakrajutatip.
—
Sarah Moreno, Miami Herald, 4 Nov. 2025
Unlike other pageants like Miss America, the Miss Universe competition does not have a talent portion in its lineup.
—Tabitha Parent, PEOPLE, 29 Oct. 2025
Many of them got their start in beauty pageants, from Erika Kirk (Miss Arizona) and Kristi Noem (South Dakota's Snow Queen) to deputy press secretary Anna Kelly (Miss State Fair of Virginia).
—Lila MacLellan, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2025
Some scholars have suggested that the boys were prized for their looks and conscripted into homoerotic pageants created by Christopher Marlowe.
—Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 20 Oct. 2025
Another albino Thai buffalo was sold in 2024 for 18 million baht ($672,000) after winning multiple pageants.
—CNN Money, 7 Oct. 2025
Loren got her start in beauty pageants as a young girl before turning to acting in the 1950s.
—Juliana Ukiomogbe, Architectural Digest, 29 Sep. 2025
Sarah Moreno, Miami Herald, 4 Nov. 2025
Unlike other pageants like Miss America, the Miss Universe competition does not have a talent portion in its lineup.
—Tabitha Parent, PEOPLE, 29 Oct. 2025
Many of them got their start in beauty pageants, from Erika Kirk (Miss Arizona) and Kristi Noem (South Dakota's Snow Queen) to deputy press secretary Anna Kelly (Miss State Fair of Virginia).
—Lila MacLellan, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2025
Some scholars have suggested that the boys were prized for their looks and conscripted into homoerotic pageants created by Christopher Marlowe.
—Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 20 Oct. 2025
Another albino Thai buffalo was sold in 2024 for 18 million baht ($672,000) after winning multiple pageants.
—CNN Money, 7 Oct. 2025
Loren got her start in beauty pageants as a young girl before turning to acting in the 1950s.
—Juliana Ukiomogbe, Architectural Digest, 29 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pageants
Noun
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Here is a guide to Veterans Day parades and patriotic ceremonies throughout San Diego County.—
Linda Mcintosh,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Nov. 2025
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Not even modern Pride parades enliven cities with as much glittering delirium as that triumphant procession.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
4 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The world is watching this and the other exhibits of a superpower going off the rails—and drawing conclusions.—
Dan Perry,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Oct. 2025
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The benefit will feature live entertainment, art activations, fine wine and cuisine, and an auction to support NUMU’s exhibits, educational programming and community work.—
Nollyanne Delacruz,
Mercury News,
29 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Get specific prompts to optimize emails, memos and presentations for tone, context and audience.—
Renée Onque,
CNBC,
6 Nov. 2025
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There will be presentations to honor veterans, guest speakers and a salute from the Vista City Council.—
Linda Mcintosh,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
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That more than compensated for the absence of Dixon-Waters, who was SDSU’s leading scorer in both preseason exhibitions (19 and 17 points) after missing all of last season with a fractured bone in his foot that refused to heal quickly.—
Mark Zeigler,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Nov. 2025
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Under de Blasio, the mansion became a space that blended residential, artistic, and civic functions, including exhibitions exploring social change, while maintaining the mansion’s long-standing public and political significance.—
Nandika Chatterjee,
Time,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
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At Grandview Point, once the site of a 19th-century copper mine, visitors can enjoy sweeping panoramas and access the rugged Grandview Trail, originally built to haul ore out of the canyon.—
Taryn White,
Travel + Leisure,
17 Oct. 2025
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That’s not to mention the iconic Blue Ridge Parkway and the bucket list-worthy trifecta of mountains called the Peaks of Otter, each of which lead to scenic summits for far-reaching panoramas.—
Erin Gifford,
Southern Living,
12 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Leading up to the Great American Eclipse, these safety spectacles became a bit hard to find, so buy them and more eclipse gear and merch early.—
Maya Silver,
Outside,
21 Oct. 2025
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Kiss wouldn’t have another Top 10 until long after Frehley left in 1981, but the quartet’s albums continued to sell well as its arena concerts became spectacles.—
Erik Pedersen,
Deadline,
16 Oct. 2025
Noun
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His Christmas Eve shows were extravaganzas that involved holiday tunes and sound clips.—
Tom Tapp,
Deadline,
29 Oct. 2025
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Advertisers still crave the broad, simultaneous viewership such extravaganzas generate, and marketers that in the past might not have spent heavily on sports now see new reasons to do so.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
22 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Lavic displays and dramatic columns of ash.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Nov. 2025
-
Gray noted that fixtures, displays and marketing materials can be moved around with ease to feature a particular trend or brand at a moment’s notice.—
Stephen Garner,
Footwear News,
31 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pageants.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pageants. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.
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