tournament

noun

tour·​na·​ment ˈtu̇r-nə-mənt 

 also  ˈtər-,

 or  ˈtȯr-

1

: a series of games or contests that make up a single unit of competition (as on a professional golf tour), the championship playoffs of a league or conference, or an invitational event

2

a

: a knightly sport of the Middle Ages between mounted combatants armed with blunted lances or swords and divided into two parties contesting for a prize or favor bestowed by the lady of the tournament

b

: the whole series of knightly sports, jousts, and tilts occurring at one time and place

Synonyms

• bout
• competition
• contest
• event
• game
• match
• matchup
• meet
• sweepstakes
• sweep-stake
• tourney

Examples of tournament in a Sentence

She's an excellent tennis player who has won many tournaments.

a golf tournament in which professionals compete against amateurs

Recent Examples on the Web

For the second year in a row the tournament began with single wild-card games in each conference, followed by best-of-three first-round series in which draws go directly to penalty kicks. —Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2024

But the Wildcats struggled in recent years under Calipari, going 9-16 in 2021 and missing the NCAA tournament, losing in the first round of the 2022 tournament, losing in the second round of the 2023 tournament and losing in the first round of the 2024 tournament. —Tim Casey, Forbes, 30 Oct. 2024

Success at this tournament could potentially give the country a route into the World Blind Football Championships. —Sam Joseph, CNN, 29 Oct. 2024

Golf fans can expect substantial changes at the 2025 WM Phoenix Open after event runners spent the past eight months tweaking how the historic tournament will function. —Sam Kmack, The Arizona Republic, 26 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English tornement, from Anglo-French turneiement, from turneier

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

Phrases Containing tournament

• pre-tournament

Kids Definition

tournament

noun

tour·​na·​ment ˈtu̇r-nə-mənt 

 also  ˈtər-,

 or  ˈtȯr-

1

: a contest of skill and courage between knights wearing armor and fighting with blunted lances or swords

2

: a contest or series of contests played for a championship