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
Relevance
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
Example Sentences
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.
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
-
The National Mall also is hosting a daily event called the Great American State Fair that will run until July 10, and some local neighborhoods are hosting parades and other events on the Fourth.
-
Millions of Americans attending parades, cookouts, sporting events and Fourth of July fireworks should prepare for dangerous heat, particularly during the afternoon and early evening hours.
Noun
-
Meanwhile, companies and government agencies like YouTube, Harley-Davidson, Meta and NASA will also have exhibits at the fair.
-
With more than 50 exhibits in the show, it’s bound to be a far-out adventure.
Noun
-
And this season at Pitti Uomo and Milan Fashion Week Men’s, as a heatwave struck Europe and the looksmaxxing movement circulating around GLP-1s and peptides continues to shift body ideals, runways and presentations held a mirror up to our changing world.
-
Tuesday’s presentations will focus on whether changes to annual targets are needed ahead of the 2026-2027 school year.
Noun
-
The gallery, currently headed by former Royal Academy director of exhibitions, Kathleen Soriano, sits directly on the seafront in Hastings, overlooking the English Channel.
-
The week-long extravaganza is open to seasoned collectors, newbies, and everyone in between, offering up exhibitions, interactive workshops, and other events across the city center.
Noun
-
From a point roughly 1 million miles from Earth, the telescope is expected to survey the cosmos, capturing panoramas of hundreds of millions of stars and billions of galaxies.
-
There are forced close-ups (with the exception of the dining gallery, none of the rooms feels very large), and 360-degree panoramas.
Noun
-
Beyond manufacturing, The Yard includes a design studio, a bespoke consultation room for custom frame commissions, a training academy for opticians and makers, and a growing archive of historic spectacles spanning more than two centuries.
-
According to Blair, originality, practical filmmaking and emerging voices matter more than franchises and giant visual effects spectacles.
Noun
-
Then-Mayor John Lindsay had cut down on ticker-tape extravaganzas for financial and other reasons.
-
Production’s involvement in paying for cast extravaganzas is something Monique brought up in a confessional interview during season 10.
Noun
-
Kainerugaba’s associates describe him as a dedicated military officer who often eschews ostentatious displays of wealth.
-
When New England became a stop on major international trade routes, the multicultural floodgates opened and Puritan objections to things like fashion, elaborate design, lavish displays of wealth and other things deemed excessive were being continually, casually challenged.
Cite this Entry
“Pageants.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pageants. Accessed 1 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
