tournament
Americannoun
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tournaments
plural
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a trial of skill in some game, in which competitors play a series of contests.
a chess tournament.
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a meeting for contests in a variety of sports, as between teams of different nations.
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History/Historical.
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a contest or martial sport in which two opposing parties of mounted and armored combatants fought for a prize, with blunted weapons and in accordance with certain rules.
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a meeting at an appointed time and place for the performance of knightly exercises and sports.
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noun
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a sporting competition in which contestants play a series of games to determine an overall winner
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a meeting for athletic or other sporting contestants
an archery tournament
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medieval history
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(originally) a martial sport or contest in which mounted combatants fought for a prize
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(later) a meeting for knightly sports and exercises
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Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of tournament
1175–1225; Middle English tornement < Old French torneiement, equivalent to torne ( ier ) to tourney + -ment -ment
Explanation
A tournament refers to a gathering of competitors playing a series of games. There are chess tournaments, golf tournaments, tennis tournaments, and a number of tournaments titled “Tournament of Champions.” In medieval times, large groups of knights would gather and compete in a tournament. These tournaments were composed of a number of fighting events. In the melee event, the knights were divided into two teams which would ride at each other with lances, trying to unhorse the opposing knights. There is evidence that weapons were not blunted for these tournaments. Ouch.
Vocabulary lists containing tournament
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English Words Derived from French, List 2
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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:
It didn’t win a game in the tournament.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026
The British number five reached the third round at the Beijing Open earlier this month in her first WTA tournament for six months, having been sidelined with a stress fracture in her back.
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026
Nearby is the Black Desert Resort, which hosts an annual PGA Tour golf tournament.
From Salon ● Oct. 11, 2026
On top of the disappointing run of results before the international break, Celtic's largest shareholder, Dermot Desmond, was the target of a protest during the Alfred Dunhill Links golf tournament in St Andrews.
From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026
“You should be practicing for the video game tournament tomorrow. Otherwise you’ll never make it past the first round.”
From "Trouble at the Arcade (The Hardy Boys: Secret Files, #1)" by Franklin W. Dixon
A keen golfer, Trump wants to renovate the municipal course, which he has described as dilapidated, saying it could eventually host major tournaments.
From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2026
Annual club fees can reach $6,000, and the cost of traveling to tournaments can potentially double or even triple that.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026
Williams bought his son a $60 used bat, avoids pricey out-of-state tournaments and practices with his son at a local park rather than paying for private lessons.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026
Arch-rivals India and Pakistan, who do not play each other outside tournaments, will meet in Johannesburg on 10 October.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
Emma should be a model; we’ve heard it a million times at school concerts and soccer tournaments.
From "Wintergirls" by Laurie Halse Anderson
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
