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• champion
  champion

  noun

  a person who has defeated all opponents in a competition or series of competitions, so as to hold first place.
• Champion
  Champion

  noun

  Gower 1921–80, U.S. choreographer.

champion

¹ American  

[cham-pee-uhn] / ˈtʃæm pi ən /

noun

• champions
  plural

1. a person who has defeated all opponents in a competition or series of competitions, so as to hold first place.

   the heavyweight boxing champion.

   Synonyms:

   victor, winner

   Antonyms:

   loser

2. anything that takes first place in competition.

   the champion of a cattle show.

3. an animal that has won a certain number of points in officially recognized shows.

   This dog is a champion.

4. a person who fights for or defends any person or cause.

   a champion of the oppressed.

   Synonyms:

   protector, defender

5. a fighter or warrior.

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verb (used with object)

• champions,
  present (3rd person singular)
• championed,
  past participle,  past
• championing
  present participle

1. to act as champion of; defend; support.

   to champion a cause.

   Synonyms:

   advocate, maintain

2. Obsolete. to defy.

adjective

1. first among all contestants or competitors.

2. Informal. first-rate.

Champion ² American  

[cham-pee-uhn] / ˈtʃæm pi ən /

noun

1. Gower 1921–80, U.S. choreographer.

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champion British  

/ ˈtʃæmpɪən /

noun

1. 1. a person who has defeated all others in a competition

      a chess champion

   2. ( as modifier )

      a champion team

2. 1. a plant or animal that wins first place in a show, etc

   2. ( as modifier )

      a champion marrow

3. a person who defends a person or cause

   champion of the underprivileged

4. (formerly) a warrior or knight who did battle for another, esp a king or queen, to defend their rights or honour

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adjective

1. dialect first rate; excellent

adverb

1. dialect very well; excellently

verb

1. to support; defend

   we champion the cause of liberty

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonchampion
  noun
• championless
  adjective
• championlike
  adjective
• prechampioned
  adjective
• unchampioned
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• champions
  plural

Participles

• championing
  present
• championed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• champion
  simple
• champions
  simple
• have championed
  perfect
• has championed
  perfect
• am championing
  progressive
• are championing
  progressive
• is championing
  progressive
• have been championing
  perfect progressive
• has been championing
  perfect progressive

Past

• championed
  simple
• had championed
  perfect
• was championing
  progressive
• were championing
  progressive
• had been championing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will champion
  simple
• will have championed
  perfect
• will be championing
  progressive
• will have been championing
  perfect progressive

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

champion Champion champions championed championing

By 2024, he had settled in as the general manager for the Philadelphia Phillies, working under two-time World Series champion Dave Dombrowski.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026

He became a standout receiver for USC and a Super Bowl champion with the New York Giants.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2026

Sanctioning body the WBO said it mourned the passing of its former champion.

From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc passed McLaren's Lando Norris with six laps to go to take second ahead of the world champion, who fended off a late attack from Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli.

From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026

He also studied the games of Mark Taimanov, the 1956 champion of the Soviet Union—and a concert pianist—who introduced novelties in opening play that Fischer found instructive.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

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

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

Mullins is a 19-time Irish National Hunt Champion trainer and launched late charges in the past two years to take the British title for the first time.

From BBC ● Apr. 11, 2026

The Make Great Plays staff created five awards, one of each going to students in every grade: Inclusion Hero, Unity Champion, Global Ambassador, Hope Maker and Pathfinder.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 31, 2026

“Nox is here—and he’s a thief! How could you let him come—with all this jewelry flashing about—and not me? How can I be the King’s Champion if you don’t trust me?”

From "Throne of Glass" by Sarah J. Maas

Still it divides opinion in golf, and has split the loyalty of its champions.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

Those three, along with Klopp and Mourinho, were crowned champions in 24 of the 36 seasons in the league’s history.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

I suppose, on the flip-side, if Coventry can somehow go to the Emirates and get a draw against the champions, that would provide such a huge boost to their players.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

Tzolis arrived for £34m after producing the best season of his career at Club Brugge, where he scored 17 times and provided 23 assists as they were crowned champions in Belgium.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

If they win this game, they actually have a shot at being crowned champions.

From "Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics" by Chris Grabenstein

Lauded by civic groups, the good-government reforms were championed by then-Gov.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026

Over the last 10 years, Paxton has championed religious freedom in court, often defending groups or individuals with conservative Christian views, particularly on marriage and gender.

From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2026

Zhu Rongji, China's former premier who died on Wednesday aged 97, championed free-market policies and delivered far-reaching economic reforms during his five years at the helm.

From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026

Bestselling nonfiction writer Michael Pollan, a former teacher of Hackney’s at Harvard who championed her work, said he can’t help but compare her account of Appalachia to the vice president’s.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

He championed a preferential option for the poor.

From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French

Kushner and Iger were also championing a potential NBA expansion team in Las Vegas through Thrive Eternal until the opportunity to simply pay cash for the league’s most iconic franchise presented itself.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2026

Instead of championing competition and openness, the U.S. is inching toward tech protectionism.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026

In 2011 she was appointed an OBE for her "tireless charity campaigns and championing of humanitarian causes".

From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026

Among Western companies, France's Mistral stands largely alone in championing open models.

From Barron's ● Jul. 9, 2026

"My lady, I beg the boon of championing your cause."

From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin

Related Words

• challenger
• champ
• defender
• hero
• medalist
• number one
• winner