tournament
Americannoun
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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
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.
Tournament officials said Higgo was "not within the area defined as the starting point at his starting time".
From BBC • May 14, 2026
Annie Duke was at one time among the world’s most successful poker players, winning the World Series of Poker Tournament of Champions and the NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship.
From MarketWatch • May 12, 2026
Tournament sponsors say the technology is attracting a younger, tech-savvy demographic to the sport, while Blaukat says anglers staring at sonar screens instead of honing their fishing skills “disrespects the sport.”
From The Wall Street Journal • May 5, 2026
“Augusta National Golf Club and the Masters Tournament fully support Tiger Woods as he focuses on his well-being,” Masters chairman Fred Ridley said in a statement.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026
“You know you got to face us again in the Tournament of Champions, right?” he said.
From "Slam!" by Walter Dean Myers
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.
