champion
noun
a person who has defeated all opponents in a competition or series of competitions, so as to hold first place.
champion
1 American
[cham-pee-uhn]
/ ˈtʃæm pi ən /
noun
-
champions
plural
-
a person who has defeated all opponents in a competition or series of competitions, so as to hold first place.
the heavyweight boxing champion.
- Antonyms:
- loser
-
anything that takes first place in competition.
the champion of a cattle show.
-
an animal that has won a certain number of points in officially recognized shows.
This dog is a champion.
-
a person who fights for or defends any person or cause.
a champion of the oppressed.
-
a fighter or warrior.
verb (used with object)
-
champions,
present (3rd person singular)
-
championed,
past participle, past
-
championing
present participle
adjective
-
first among all contestants or competitors.
-
Informal. first-rate.
Champion
2
American
[cham-pee-uhn]
/ ˈtʃæm pi ən /
noun
champion
British
/ ˈtʃæmpɪən /
noun
-
-
a person who has defeated all others in a competition
a chess champion
-
( as modifier )
a champion team
-
-
-
a plant or animal that wins first place in a show, etc
-
( as modifier )
a champion marrow
-
-
a person who defends a person or cause
champion of the underprivileged
-
(formerly) a warrior or knight who did battle for another, esp a king or queen, to defend their rights or honour
adjective
adverb
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
nonchampionnoun
-
championlessadjective
-
championlikeadjective
-
prechampionedadjective
-
unchampionedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
championsimple
-
championssimple
-
have championedperfect
-
has championedperfect
-
am championingprogressive
-
are championingprogressive
-
is championingprogressive
-
have been championingperfect progressive
-
has been championingperfect progressive
Past
-
championedsimple
-
had championedperfect
-
was championingprogressive
-
were championingprogressive
-
had been championingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of champion
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English, from Old French, from Late Latin campiōn-, stem of campiō “combatant in an arena duel,” from West Germanic kampiōn- (unrecorded); equivalent to Latin camp(us) “field, battlefield” + -iō, noun suffix; compare Old English cempa “warrior”
Explanation
A champion is a winner, or someone who's really good at something. If you are a champion chess player, you are a superstar! When crowds sing Queen's "We Are the Champions" at football games, they are celebrating the fact that their team won. Champion comes from the Latin word campionem for "gladiator, fighter." Rarr! No need to grab your sword, but a champion is also a person who fights for a cause. If you are the champion of fundraising, you keep pushing to raise money. As a verb, to champion means to protect or fight for something. You champion your little brother by defending him against meanies — no matter what, you are always on his side.
Vocabulary lists containing champion
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The 39-year-old won Olympic freestyle wrestling gold in 2008 before becoming a UFC champion in two weight divisions, but Saturday will be his professional boxing debut.
From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026
By winning, Hart takes over as the league title favorite waiting for its clash with longtime champion Valencia.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 26, 2026
The Frenchman and the world champion retired on the spot, while Colapinto limped around the lap to stop in the pits, where his race also came to an end.
From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026
He was an early champion of the Apple II and was known in the industry as the guy on Wall Street who took the personal computer seriously.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
It was with the awe of a champion speaking of an even greater champion that Steve Eisman said, “Vinny is dark.”
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
Champion of Westwood CEO Ken Graiwer responded by matching Harris’ donation, giving away 600 tickets.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
Last week, the French streaming service Qobuz won for Independent Champion at the Libera Awards in New York.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026
The fund known as Champ—an acronym for Champion Athlete Managing Partner—and a handful of other investors are putting nearly $50 million in Rhoback, according to people familiar with the matter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 15, 2026
Williams, from Cheshire, first started karting in 2021 and was the 2025 British Open Champion, O plate winner in the Italian Waterswift Series and was fifth in the European Waterswift Championship.
From BBC ● Apr. 23, 2026
Though Celaena might be his father’s Champion, she’d gained the title using a weapon from Eyllwe.
From "Throne of Glass" by Sarah J. Maas
You can learn more and vote here, plus read some delightful bios on the bears in the running or peruse its hall of champions.
From Salon ● Sep. 26, 2026
Last season, the club's data department projected they would be there or thereabouts when it came to the title race, but their metrics indicated Arsenal were favourites to be champions.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026
Openings that had long been considered dead because players had concluded they were so tactically weak have been revived because the engines saw sequences that world champions couldn’t.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
Mitch Edelson, the club’s current owner, said he’s proud of that legacy and champions it today — but fears that it may have tripped some kind of content trigger at Meta.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026
They seem to revel in it, using their superhuman strength to toss other champions around like rag dolls.
From "Red Queen" by Victoria Aveyard
Reviews of the game have championed its atmosphere, with IGN's Tristan Ogilvie calling it "oppressively ominous".
From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026
She championed new music and not just the stellar locals, Stravinsky and Schoenberg, but also the avant-garde and world music no one else gave the time of day.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
"They were seen as outsiders and their music wasn't really as well championed as other artists."
From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026
“The culture Warren built and the values he championed will remain at the heart of Berkshire, and Howard will be their guardian.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
It is confusing that my family was not the poor to be championed.
From "The Woman Warrior" by Maxine Hong Kingston
The French president has been instrumental over recent years in championing the daring gambit to loan the 950-year-old tapestry to the British Museum, which is putting it on display until next July.
From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026
Larson’s loss didn’t result from his championing Social Security.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
Festival organisers said the event will bring together "world-famous names alongside brand-new voices, reflecting the festival's commitment to celebrating today's leading names while championing the writers, thinkers and storytellers of the future".
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
Instead of championing competition and openness, the U.S. is inching toward tech protectionism.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
She had a long history of championing public causes.
From "Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics" by Chris Grabenstein
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
