semifinal

American  

[sem-ee-fahyn-l, sem-ahy-] / ˌsɛm iˈfaɪn l, ˌsɛm aɪ- /

adjective

1. of or relating to the round preceding the final one in a tournament from which losers are eliminated.

2. (in boxing) of or relating to the second most important bout on a card, usually immediately preceding the main bout.

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noun

• semifinals
  plural

1. a semifinal contest or round.

2. (in boxing) the second most important bout on a card.

semifinal British  

/ ˌsɛmɪˈfaɪnəl /

noun

1. 1. the round before the final in a competition

   2. ( as modifier )

      the semifinal draw

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• semifinals
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of semifinal

First recorded in 1880–85; semi- + final

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Explanation

In sports, a semifinal is the next-to the last game (or series of games) in a big tournament. In a semifinal, four teams or players compete against each other for a spot in the final round. Professional sports like hockey, soccer, and basketball — as well as competitive activities including poker and debate — have a series of elimination rounds before a winner is declared. The very last of those playoff games is the semifinal, a word that was coined in the 1860s from the Latin semi, "half," and final, whose Latin root means "end." The round before the semifinal, in which eight teams play, is called a quarterfinal.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

semifinal semifinals

The Sailors trailed by a point heading to the fourth quarter but rallied to beat sixth-seeded Woodbridge 26-21 in the other semifinal to advance to their second final in three years.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 1, 2026

Open after defeating fellow American Frances Tiafoe in a five-set semifinal.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 26, 2026

Yastremska - who in 2024 reached the semifinal stage of the Australian Open - is currently 113th in the women's world singles rankings.

From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026

With a historic All-American semifinal Friday night, a breakthrough may be close.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026

In the semifinal round, we faced the formidable Russian team.

From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad

Note: Division I-II semifinals Monday, Nov. 2 at 12:30 p.m. at higher seeds; Division I-II finals Wednesday, Nov. 4 at 11 .a.m. at higher seeds.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026

The Monarchs have won six of their last seven games and reached the Kelly Reid Invitational semifinals.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026

He had pressed beyond the semifinals, finished a match after 3:30 a.m., and knocked off tournament favorite Carlos Alcaraz in the process.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026

That’s how she crushed Jessica Pegula in straight sets in the semifinals.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026

It wasn’t surprising to me that during our matches the rest of the US fencers hadn’t bothered to cheer for me, especially since I beat Dagmara to get to the semifinals.

From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad

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