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
From competitive cheerleading and dance to beauty pageants, my mother put me in it all.
—
Amanda Le, InStyle, 4 June 2026
For adult pageants, the organization will send Lianet Aguilera to Miss Supranational and Juan Daniel Naranjo to Mister Supranational, both contests held in Poland.
—Sarah Moreno
may 31, Miami Herald, 31 May 2026
As a teenager, Bajaria helped her immigrant family’s business, washing cars before winning a string of beauty pageants, including Miss India Worldwide in 1991.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 29 May 2026
The festival includes dancing, singing, and beauty pageants.
—Charles Preston, Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 May 2026
The world’s first boardwalk opened here in 1870, and by the early 20th century, Atlantic City had become one of America’s great leisure capitals, home to grand seaside hotels, beauty pageants, and supper clubs, frequented by legendary performers like Frank Sinatra, Duke Ellington, and The Beatles.
—Jessica Chapel, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 May 2026
Now in its 79th year, the festival features crab races—including the Governor’s Cup—cooking contests, live music, parades, pageants, running events, and boat docking competitions.
—Travel + Leisure Editors, Travel + Leisure, 19 May 2026
Beauty pageants are added because +40 female adds to their mandates.
—Joe Kinsey Outkick, FOXNews.com, 16 May 2026
Sara also noted to SWNS that pageants have boosted her daughter's self-esteem through the years.
—Lexi Lane, PEOPLE, 2 May 2026
Amanda Le, InStyle, 4 June 2026
For adult pageants, the organization will send Lianet Aguilera to Miss Supranational and Juan Daniel Naranjo to Mister Supranational, both contests held in Poland.
—Sarah Moreno
may 31, Miami Herald, 31 May 2026
As a teenager, Bajaria helped her immigrant family’s business, washing cars before winning a string of beauty pageants, including Miss India Worldwide in 1991.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 29 May 2026
The festival includes dancing, singing, and beauty pageants.
—Charles Preston, Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 May 2026
The world’s first boardwalk opened here in 1870, and by the early 20th century, Atlantic City had become one of America’s great leisure capitals, home to grand seaside hotels, beauty pageants, and supper clubs, frequented by legendary performers like Frank Sinatra, Duke Ellington, and The Beatles.
—Jessica Chapel, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 May 2026
Now in its 79th year, the festival features crab races—including the Governor’s Cup—cooking contests, live music, parades, pageants, running events, and boat docking competitions.
—Travel + Leisure Editors, Travel + Leisure, 19 May 2026
Beauty pageants are added because +40 female adds to their mandates.
—Joe Kinsey Outkick, FOXNews.com, 16 May 2026
Sara also noted to SWNS that pageants have boosted her daughter's self-esteem through the years.
—Lexi Lane, PEOPLE, 2 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pageants
Noun
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The Zoo will offer special entertainment programming such as concerts, dance competitions, trampoline shows, parades featuring life-size animal puppets and acrobats and interactive presentations on animals from around the world.—
Abby Hamblin,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 June 2026
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Another term for a certain kind of planetary alignment, planet parades are what happens when planets line up along the ecliptic in a straight line and appear to us on Earth to be marching across the night sky, according to NASA.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
8 June 2026
Noun
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Interpretive exhibits, wind in the oak forests and eagles drifting below reveal the site’s enduring significance, while rangers and tribal partners share how these mounds remain living heritage, not relics.—
USA TODAY Network,
USA Today,
10 June 2026
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To coincide with the exhibits, the Chicago Architecture Center installed bird-safe window treatments on its own glass facade last month.—
Christiana Freitag,
Chicago Tribune,
10 June 2026
Noun
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Commissioners have heard presentations from county officials and deliberations will continue through Wednesday, June 17, according to Tripple’s presentation.—
Idaho Statesman,
Idaho Statesman,
15 June 2026
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Thinking back to Art Basel Qatar in February—that was a pretty deliberate departure from how the other fairs are structured, with the open layout, solo presentations, and a very strong central theme.—
Harrison Jacobs,
ARTnews.com,
15 June 2026
Noun
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In recent years, his work has been the subject of major museum exhibitions and large-scale public projects, including City in the Grass in New York’s Madison Square Park.—
Daniel Cassady,
ARTnews.com,
15 June 2026
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In the late 1970s chefs from prominent restaurants in Armenia traveled to international culinary exhibitions in France, Greece and some Arab countries and adopted innovative techniques.—
Ani Duzdabanyan,
Los Angeles Times,
15 June 2026
Noun
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There, golden bamboo is freshly planted, new curvilinear furniture is featured, high tea is served and Mount Fuji can be spied in the jaw-dropping panoramas on clear days.—
Carrie Bell,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026
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Apple Vision Pro can turn panoramas into spatial scenes with depth and realism.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
11 June 2026
Noun
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To keep the money coming in, many of the TV and streaming competitors in the upfront are leaning heavily on sports, hoping that big games and championship spectacles will bring dollars in when scripted favorites face a harder time in doing so.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
15 June 2026
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Compared to some of the spectacles that had played out across New York City for the past two weeks, this was a sedate party.—
Chris Smith,
Vanity Fair,
15 June 2026
Noun
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Production’s involvement in paying for cast extravaganzas is something Monique brought up in a confessional interview during season 10.—
McKinley Franklin,
HollywoodReporter,
1 Mar. 2026
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Every year, these flashy performances — from classic movie-musical extravaganzas to Disney earworms to Bond themes to power ballads — are the highlight of an already ridiculously flashy ceremony.—
Rebecca Alter,
Vulture,
31 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The fair also will feature All-Alaskan Racing Pigs and the Family Fun Zone, featuring games and interactive displays, along with 100 commercial vendors.—
Don Sweeney,
Sacbee.com,
14 June 2026
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The 700-foot-tall Paramount Miami Worldcenter will be lit up with two soccer displays courtesy of the Miami Host Committee and Telemundo.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
11 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pageants.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pageants. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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