round-robin

noun

round-rob·​in ˈrau̇nd-ˌrä-bən 

1

a

: a written petition, memorial, or protest to which the signatures are affixed in a circle so as not to indicate who signed first

b

: a statement signed by several persons

c

: something (such as a letter) sent in turn to the members of a group each of whom signs and forwards it sometimes after adding comment

2

: roundtable sense 1

3

: a tournament in which every contestant meets every other contestant in turn

4

: series, round

Synonyms

• colloquy
• conference
• council
• forum
• panel
• panel discussion
• parley
• roundtable
• seminar
• symposium

Examples of round-robin in a Sentence

a round-robin to discuss the epidemic of performance-enhancing drugs plaguing professional sports

Recent Examples on the Web

For its part, the Premier League have replied with their own legal round-robin. —Jacob Whitehead, The Athletic, 20 Nov. 2024

With a 2-0 record in the round-robin play, Gauff moved to the top of the Orange table. —Manasi Pathak, Forbes, 6 Nov. 2024

Gunn was swept in all of her battles without ever earning a single point in the round-robin stage. —Paulina Dedaj, Fox News, 4 Sep. 2024

This tour’s round-robin format, with three or four songs from each artist before swapping out on the same set, showed Charli’s generosity and thrill for collaboration. —August Brown, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

from the name Robin

First Known Use

1698, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

round-robin

noun

ˈrau̇n-ˌdräb-ən

1

: a letter (as of protest) whose signers put their signatures in a circle so the receiver cannot tell who signed first

2

: a tournament in which every contestant plays once against every other contestant