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pageants

noun

plural of pageant
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

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 Because JonBenét had won several child beauty pageants, images of her in makeup and garish costumes created a spectacle around the case (which is still unsolved), and around the Ramseys. — Kate Aurthur, Variety, 21 Sep. 2026 Sisic was crowned Miss Austria in 2024, and continued to hold the title as there were no further pageants after that, the outlets reported. — Becca Longmire, PEOPLE, 8 Sep. 2026 Miss World is one of the longest-running international pageants, with events such as the ‘Beauty with a Purpose’ segment, the ‘Head-to-Head’ live debate and ‘Top Model’ runway section. — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 2 Sep. 2026 The 2025 pageants aired on Queen Beauty Network following the May 2024 resignations of Voigt and Miss Teen USA 2023 UmaSofia Srivastava. — Erin Jensen, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026 Venezuelan lawyer and designer Prince Julio César, director of Miss Universe Cuba, stated at the conclusion of the event that the finalists would continue working with the organization to prepare them for other beauty pageants. — Sarah Moreno, Miami Herald, 21 Aug. 2026 However, in 2025, the pageants aired on the Queen Beauty Network, which focuses on fashion, beauty, and pageant industries. — Marina Watts, Entertainment Weekly, 21 Aug. 2026 JonBenét’s involvement in beauty pageants became fodder for tabloids, suspicion surrounded her parents even after they had been cleared as suspects, and numerous theories developed regarding who killed her. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 20 Aug. 2026 And then there’d be pictures of Shelly and April onstage in the beauty pageants. — Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 17 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pageants
  1. parades
  2. exhibits
  3. presentations
  4. exhibitions
  5. panoramas
  6. spectacles
  7. extravaganzas
  8. displays
Noun
  • The group’s members learn the music and how to perform through classes, rehearsals, community events and street parades.
    — Kari Barnett, Sun Sentinel, 23 Sep. 2026
  • The exemption is designed to apply to cars used primarily in shows, parades, charitable functions and historical exhibitions.
    — Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of parades
Noun
  • Find seasonal art exhibits in the Gallery Hall and check out the Gwinnett Veterans Memorial Museum also located inside.
    — Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 27 Sep. 2026
  • Beyond the views, there are also some wonderful exhibits on the 2nd and 80th floors offering a historical overview of the building’s construction and legacy.
    — Jessica Sulima, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 Sep. 2026
Definition of exhibits
Noun
  • IvyCraft is designed for researchers, students, educators, content creators, consultants, and teams that regularly turn source material into presentations, videos, podcasts, or visual content.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 24 Sep. 2026
  • The closet, originally called Okra Suits, provided business attire to students for career fairs, presentations, job interviews and special events.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of presentations
Noun
  • The creatives will work here, while presenting exhibitions and showroom openings.
    — Joe Bobowicz, Vogue, 26 Sep. 2026
  • But the new building is seamlessly integrated into the old one, allowing exhibitions to flow in a much more natural way.
    — Nate Freeman, Vanity Fair, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of exhibitions
Noun
  • The Forêt du Dom hike is a five- to six-hour loop through centuries-old cork oaks, while the sporty Les Hauts de Bormes trail delivers breathtaking coastal panoramas.
    — Chrissie McClatchie, Travel + Leisure, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Three Fall Must-Dos Take in one of the best fall color panoramas at Brockway Mountain Lookout along Brockway Mountain Drive, linking Copper Harbor and Eagle Harbor, about an hour’s drive north from Houghton.
    — Taryn Shorr-Mckee, Midwest Living, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of panoramas
Noun
  • At best, these robot spectacles are funny or wildly optimistic about technology.
    — Shane O’Neill, Washington Post, 25 Sep. 2026
  • There’s an almost comically blasé way in which the performers — who are used to such spectacles — go about their work an hour before thousands of audience members will gasp and clap at the same tricks.
    — Jenelle Riley, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of spectacles
Noun
  • While dining venues are complimentary, elaborate food-and-wine pairing extravaganzas come with a fee.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Sep. 2026
  • In those films, Nolan retained his auteurist fire while creating big, bold populist extravaganzas.
    — Brent Lang, Variety, 21 July 2026
Definition of extravaganzas
Noun
  • From there, everyone proceeded through a TSA security checkpoint and on through the sparkling new terminal, complete with LED-screen departure and arrival LED screens and gate displays.
    — Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 26 Sep. 2026
  • Here are trucks that can practically drive themselves down the highway, turn their cabin into a mobile office, and put more than 60 inches of digital displays in front of their occupants.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of displays

Browse Nearby Words

pageantry
pageants
pageboy
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Cite this Entry

“Pageants.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pageants. Accessed 1 Oct. 2026.

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