pageants

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

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 Another albino Thai buffalo was sold in 2024 for 18 million baht ($672,000) after winning multiple pageants. CNN Money, 7 Oct. 2025 The controversy centered on Pulgarín’s age, 34, which many pointed out exceeds the usual standards of other beauty pageants in Colombia, according to US Magazine. Sarah Moreno, Miami Herald, 3 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 To support the early days of those charitable efforts, Frantzve turned to pageants. Shawn Raymundo, AZCentral.com, 19 Sep. 2025 Stockard didn’t know her future in pageants would lead to national success at the time of her first try in Miss Auburn University. Zoey Lyttle, PEOPLE, 19 Sep. 2025 Exploring the misogyny of beauty pageants and its targeting of transwomen and the ongoing objectification of women, the contestants each called to the stage, presented by a very Vincent Price-seeming host representing the patriarchy. Roxanne Robinson, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025 Despite her accomplishments in the worlds of faith, fashion and pageants, Erika emphasized that her priorities in life included being a wife and mother. Rachel Wolf, FOXNews.com, 13 Sep. 2025 Social media accounts show Snelling, who majors in interdisciplinary disability studies, attended Jefferson County High School in Mississippi and previously competed in beauty pageants. Joshua Rhett Miller, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pageants
Noun
  • Each October, the city hosts the Haunted Happenings Festival, which draws more than a million visitors with parades, markets, and themed events that grow more spirited as Halloween night approaches.
    Jacqueline Dole, Travel + Leisure, 6 Oct. 2025
  • Mark shot street protests, Pride marches, and Thanksgiving parades—showing how the city’s diverse cultures and identities are replenished by the demonstrative joy of belonging, and how the city at large is enriched by its variety of communities.
    Rebecca Mead, New Yorker, 5 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The institution, which is funded roughly two-thirds by federal appropriations, said that while exhibits will close, animal care at the zoo and its Conservation Biology Institute in Virginia will continue uninterrupted.
    Nik Popli, Time, 10 Oct. 2025
  • Miracle Mile is home to numerous museums, including the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures with vintage screenings and exhibits that dive into film history, with free admission for guests under 18.
    Allison Tibaldi, USA Today, 9 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Everyone was buzzing about unexpected creative directions and the boldness of some presentations.
    Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 8 Oct. 2025
  • That includes research presentations on hip-hop, identity and activism, interactive workshops in education and creative practice, and a freestyle dance battle.
    Liz Rothaus Bertrand, Charlotte Observer, 7 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The Tang Wing, a collaboration with the architecture firm Beyer Blinder Belle, will also house rotating special exhibitions, requiring blank canvases of sorts.
    Jacqui Palumbo, CNN Money, 8 Oct. 2025
  • The key is nurturing each intellectual property and finding new ways to connect with consumers — better products, richer content, and more immersive experiences, from exhibitions to theme parks.
    Anniek Bao, CNBC, 8 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The Clérigos Tower offers one of the best panoramas in the city after a climb of more than 200 steps.
    AFAR Media, AFAR Media, 2 Oct. 2025
  • Cloudy chords, meditative tintinnabulation, the whoosh of wind and rain, blocks of iridescent brass — all these discrete sonorities trundled by, like a train of boxcars with panoramas painted on their sides.
    Justin Davidson, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Set against some of Riyadh’s most famous landmarks, including Bedrock, Al Mamlaka and JAX, the program combines large-scale runway spectacles with intimate fashion showcases.
    Ritu Upadhyay, Footwear News, 8 Oct. 2025
  • But sporting events do have breaks for commercials, and Netflix has learned that audiences turning in for a live spectacles will sit and watch the ads advertisements.
    Frederick Dreier, Outside, 1 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The Sundance Film Festival, named for one of the actor’s most iconic characters, grew into a cornerstone of the film industry and eventually one of the most glitzy extravaganzas on the Hollywood social calendar, known as much for screenings as for executive deal-making and VIP parties.
    Daniel Arkin, NBC news, 16 Sep. 2025
  • 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, 3 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Explore an impressive collection of locomotives, including the iconic Norfolk & Western Class J 611 steam engine, alongside classic cars, maritime exhibits, and aviation displays.
    Erin Gifford, Southern Living, 11 Oct. 2025
  • The move puts Steak 'n Shake in the company of other businesses that have been embracing patriotic displays.
    Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 11 Oct. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Pageants.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pageants. Accessed 14 Oct. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on pageants

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!