tournament

American  

[toor-nuh-muhnt, tur-] / ˈtʊər nə mənt, ˈtɜr- /

noun

1. a trial of skill in some game, in which competitors play a series of contests.

   a chess tournament.

2. a meeting for contests in a variety of sports, as between teams of different nations.

3. History/Historical.

   1. 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.

   2. a meeting at an appointed time and place for the performance of knightly exercises and sports.

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tournament British  

/ ˈtɜː-, ˈtʊənəmənt, ˈtɔː- /

noun

1. a sporting competition in which contestants play a series of games to determine an overall winner

2. a meeting for athletic or other sporting contestants

   an archery tournament

3. medieval history

   1. (originally) a martial sport or contest in which mounted combatants fought for a prize

   2. (later) a meeting for knightly sports and exercises

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Other Word Forms

• pretournament
  noun

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.

Example Sentences

The Braves move on in pool C to host Sierra Canyon on Friday as part of a 16-team tournament with four pools.

From Los Angeles Times • May 13, 2026

Jose Rodrigues, who drank a Guinness at the dark wood-paneled bar with his wife Ann, agreed that the tournament was out of reach for his family of five.

From Barron's • May 13, 2026

Khmaladze started at full-back in the defeat by Wales in Nantes, while back row Lomidze, who had brief spells in England with London Irish and Doncaster, was not involved in the tournament.

From BBC • May 12, 2026

It will also host one round-of-32 match and one round-of-16 match in a tournament that kicks off in less than a month, on June 11.

From Barron's • May 12, 2026

Only five weeks later, during the July 4 weekend, he captured the United States Junior Championship at a tournament held at the Franklin Mercantile Chess Club in Philadelphia.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

Related Words

• contest
• event
• fight
• match
• meeting
• series
• sport
• test
• tourney