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:
The winner of this year's Fat Bear Week has been crowned after a nail-biting final -- and it's the son of a former champion.
From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026
Playing in the tournament for the first time in 11 years, the Serb, a 24-time Grand Slam champion, is bidding to win the China Open for a record-extending seventh time.
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026
Once the new owners supercharged the club’s finances, however, City set about building a serial champion at a pace and on a scale that few in soccer had ever imagined.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
Evans felt a deep rumble as the boxing champion came into view.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2026
It was difficult to think of the ever-combative, highly combustible champion of the American Revolution as extraneous and invisible, but that is what the vice presidency had made him.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
When AEW launched in 2019, he was announced as one of the first signees, becoming the first All-Atlantic Champion and also won the Trios Championships.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026
After Bartoli won Wimbledon in 2013, French newspaper L'Equipe named her their female Champion of Champions.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
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
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
Without moving a pawn, on April 3, 1975, Anatoly Karpov was declared the twelfth World Champion by Dr. Max Euwe, president of FIDE.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
The majority of supporters felt Fury-Joshua had arrived too late, with both men now former champions and far from the peak of their powers.
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
The Sri Lankans will meet reigning champions India and Bangladesh play Pakistan, with both semi-finals scheduled for Thursday.
From Barron's ● Sep. 29, 2026
But Quenneville has a history of turning young teams into champions.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2026
Most of all, the Blues look like a team who believe they should be champions and are willing to work for it.
From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026
“This was the kind of performance people will be talking about for years. The Celtics are NBA champions once again!”
From "Here to Stay" by Sara Farizan
The Latin Grammy-winning artist has long championed feminist causes and challenged sexual harassment in the entertainment industry — a topic central to her 2024 Netflix documentary, “Mon Laferte, Te Amo.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2026
McKinney is endorsed by the city’s powerful police union and championed by L.A.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2026
"They were seen as outsiders and their music wasn't really as well championed as other artists."
From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026
Since then, Dans has championed Damen in conversations and at a public appearance.
From Salon ● Sep. 16, 2026
In a sixty-year career on the concert stage she tirelessly championed the music of her husband, of Brahms and of Chopin.
From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall
"I think as an industry we should be really proud of the fact that we're still championing human creativity and that the audience is also on board with that," she added.
From BBC ● Sep. 27, 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
Larson’s loss didn’t result from his championing Social Security.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 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
It’s what I had thought a dozen times myself, that I was lucky he was championing my work and my learning, that without Luc I could not have succeeded here.
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
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.
