pageant

noun

pag·​eant ˈpa-jənt 

1

a

: a mere show : pretense

b

: an ostentatious display

2

: show, exhibition

especially : an elaborate colorful exhibition or spectacle often with music that consists of a series of tableaux, of a loosely unified drama, or of a procession usually with floats

3

: pageantry sense 1

Synonyms

• cavalcade

Examples of pageant in a Sentence

They disagreed with the pageant judges.

Their church puts on an annual Christmas pageant.

Recent Examples on the Web

Kelly Ripa as a Toddlers & Tiaras contestant In 2011, Ripa hilariously dressed as a pint-sized pageant queen from Toddlers & Tiaras for Halloween. —Kate Hogan, People.com, 31 Oct. 2024

That’s probably most clear in the character of Bernadette (voiced by India Brown), who rewrites the annual Christmas pageant to be more woke. —Peter Debruge, Variety, 19 Oct. 2024

The change was sparked by the organizer of an Ohio pageant, who encouraged her to move out to Illinois and join their modeling agency. —Shania Russell, EW.com, 14 Oct. 2024

By her mid-20s, Sarah had gotten into modeling and competing in beauty pageants. —Nikki Battiste, CBS News, 5 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English pagyn, padgeant, literally, scene of a play, from Anglo-French pagine, pagent, from Medieval Latin pagina, perhaps from Latin, page

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

pageant

noun

pag·​eant ˈpaj-ənt 

1

: an impressive exhibition or spectacle

2

: an entertainment consisting of scenes based on history or legend