champion
noun
a person who has defeated all opponents in a competition or series of competitions, so as to hold first place.
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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
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nonchampionnoun
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championlessadjective
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championlikeadjective
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prechampionedadjective
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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:
Dirk van Duijvenbode fought back from 4-1 down to defeat Sweden's Viktor Tingstrom 6-4, while Ryan Searle threw four 180s as he dispatched former world champion Rob Cross 6-2.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
Defending champion Michael van Gerwen fell to a 6-5 defeat by Daryl Gurney in the opening round of the World Series of Darts Finals in Amsterdam.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
Hilton and Perry were friends back in the aughts, and the blogger was an early champion of the “Roar” singer’s career.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
The U.S. won the Paris Olympics tournament, the last major international event for women, but Spain, the reigning World Cup champion, is ranked No. 1 in the world.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2026
He was the grandson of William Stepson, the steer-roping champion who had died, of suspected poisoning, in 1922.
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
It handles design, permitting, transportation and installation but farms the construction to large producers such as Champion Homes, a manufacturer that works with multiple retailers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026
Dettori has not ridden in Britain since October 2023 when he won the Champion Stakes on King of Steel at Ascot.
From BBC ● Jul. 2, 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
Dressing head-to-toe in ethical clothing can feel as impossible as a stuck zipper, especially now that legacy manufacturers like Eddie Bauer and Champion have sold their brand names to a shoddier conglomerate.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 21, 2026
And then there was the Champion who’d tried to escape this afternoon.
From "Throne of Glass" by Sarah J. Maas
League Two Fleetwood Town will host Premier League champions Arsenal in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup.
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026
Breaking into the Arsenal first team will be a tough task for Dowman especially when the Premier League champions are in such fine form.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
It was a funny rebuke to the force-fed notion that sports champions are these locked-in super computers with scrupulous attention to detail.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
The 2023 world champion did not qualify by right for the Ultimate Championship, which is reserved for reigning global champions, Diamond League winners and others based on world ranking.
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026
“Got to give our champions their instructions, haven’t we? Barty, want to do the honors?”
From "Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire" by J. K. Rowling
Berry championed sustainable farming and rural community preservation and railed against industrial agriculture and corporate agribusiness.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026
While it is widely seen as Wintour’s baby, multiple leaders at the museum, which is home to the largest collection of Galliano’s work, had publicly championed the exhibit.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
Later, as an independent councillor and then leader of the council, he helped secure funding for projects across Merthyr Tydfil and championed investment in education and community development.
From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026
The steady checks from the university took the pressure off my pages as they championed my books with launch events in their auditoriums, sharing good reviews on their vast website.
From Salon ● Aug. 24, 2026
That issue, of course, was slavery, which was clearly incompatible with the principles of the American Revolution, no matter what version one championed.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
He gravitated toward politicians championing social justice causes, managing the first congressional campaign for Congressman Esteban Torres, himself a former labor activist.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
After two terms championing free markets as Indiana’s governor, Mitch Daniels was faced with the biggest political decision of his life.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
Since the early 1970s, Steinem used her voice and influence to work toward legalizing safe abortions while championing survivors of rape and domestic violence and pushing for equal pay in the workplace.
From Salon ● Sep. 3, 2026
Former Toyota head Hiroshi Okuda, credited with championing the pioneering Prius hybrid and turning the Japanese automaker into a global titan, has died aged 93, the firm said Wednesday.
From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 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.
