champion
noun
a person who has defeated all opponents in a competition or series of competitions, so as to hold first place.
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
-
nonchampionnoun
-
championlessadjective
-
championlikeadjective
-
prechampionedadjective
-
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:
A credit-card bill that could dent banks’ profits and erode Visa’s V 0.81%increase; up pointing triangle and Mastercard’s MA 0.82%increase; up pointing triangle dominance has a new champion, and he sits in the Oval Office.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
"Today the issue is survival," added the mayor, a towering former world heavyweight champion boxer who has served as Kyiv mayor since 2014.
From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026
Several new Gladiators have joined the show for the new season, including three-time World's Strongest Man champion Tom Stoltman.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
Also, two-time major golf champion Bryson DeChambeau said that while it’s likely that moon landings have happened, some of the footage we’ve been shown might have been fake.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
Anansi realized this when he received his prize from Nyame, so he created the Anansesem, his champion orators, like you, to carry his fables far and wide.
From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia
Now swarms scour vintage stores hunting for Coach purses, Champion sweatshirts and Ralph Lauren pullovers popular in the 1990s, as well as vintage Levi’s.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026
Its billionaire founder Jamie Salter built an empire by picking off labels such as Reebok and Champion.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
"I think the Diamond League is a fantastic concept that should be cultivated. It will take a long time before people understand what an Ultimate Champion is," Warholm told Norwegian media outlet VG.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
Champion canoeist David "Davey" Hearn told the BBC that he did not do anything wrong, and was simply touching the peeling paint.
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026
They were Mr. Lemoncello’s Champion Crusaders, standing up for what was right in a world gone wrong.
From "Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics" by Chris Grabenstein
The noise built through the warm-ups, in the tunnel and during the anthems, until, finally, Haaland emerged into the blazing sunshine and took a long blue-eyed stare across the pitch at the five-time world champions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
The US, Europe and Australia have all seen female drag racing champions, but in other parts of the world, the sport is less well established, Top Fuel is rare and the picture is more varied.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
Aside from the sheer fun of it, the more demanding kind of reading Mr. Marriott champions helps us make sense of the world, furnishes the mind and elevates our species.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
However, the government rewards Asian Games champions and Olympic medal winners of any colour with a service exemption bar basic training, which lasts less than a month.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
Washington had become the national champions and swept the Hudson.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
Operating under the banner “the Sound of Tomorrow,” the collective championed artists like Kaytranada, Brent Faiyaz, Bryson Tiller and Snoh Aalegra before they were household names.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026
"They were seen as outsiders and their music wasn't really as well championed as other artists."
From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026
“The culture Warren built and the values he championed will remain at the heart of Berkshire, and Howard will be their guardian.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
In doing so, Dans has championed one shipbuilder in particular — Damen Shipyards, a Dutch company with which he had a business relationship.
From Salon ● Sep. 16, 2026
He championed a preferential option for the poor.
From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French
Now he is championing a "people-led" movement that promotes the protection of human rights and rule of law as enshrined in the constitution.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
Among those voicing concerns and championing the role of the Heimlich maneuver are the children of the doctor behind it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
Jourdane spent his life championing the causes he believed in, such as safe conditions for workers, voting rights and standing up for the oppressed, his family said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 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
“I don’t see that at all, Mr. Renfield,” said Mrs. Harker, at once championing me.
From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker
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.
