semifinal

American  

[sem-ee-fahyn-l, sem-ahy-] / ˌsɛm iˈfaɪn l, ˌsɛm aɪ- /

adjective

1. of or relating to the round preceding the final one in a tournament from which losers are eliminated.

2. (in boxing) of or relating to the second most important bout on a card, usually immediately preceding the main bout.

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noun

• semifinals
  plural

1. a semifinal contest or round.

2. (in boxing) the second most important bout on a card.

semifinal British  

/ ˌsɛmɪˈfaɪnəl /

noun

1. 1. the round before the final in a competition

   2. ( as modifier )

      the semifinal draw

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• semifinals
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of semifinal

First recorded in 1880–85; semi- + final

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Explanation

In sports, a semifinal is the next-to the last game (or series of games) in a big tournament. In a semifinal, four teams or players compete against each other for a spot in the final round. Professional sports like hockey, soccer, and basketball — as well as competitive activities including poker and debate — have a series of elimination rounds before a winner is declared. The very last of those playoff games is the semifinal, a word that was coined in the 1860s from the Latin semi, "half," and final, whose Latin root means "end." The round before the semifinal, in which eight teams play, is called a quarterfinal.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

semifinal semifinals

Yastremska - who in 2024 reached the semifinal stage of the Australian Open - is currently 113th in the women's world singles rankings.

From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026

With a historic All-American semifinal Friday night, a breakthrough may be close.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026

Referee Iván Barton recalls how he was assigned to officiate a World Cup semifinal between France and Spain and his view of changes that have shaped modern refereeing.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026

The company provided Reggie Jean-Brice with what it called a “complimentary upgrade” after his $12,500 field-level tickets for a World Cup semifinal match between France and Spain weren’t available.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026

The semifinal match did not start out well.

From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad

In the semifinals against the New York Liberty, Reese, a career 74% free-throw shooter, went to the line repeatedly in the last two, nail-biting games and shot 12 for 12.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

The Monarchs have won six of their last seven games and reached the Kelly Reid Invitational semifinals.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026

Shelton will face fellow U.S. player Frances Tiafoe in Friday’s semifinals.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026

Open men’s semifinals in 2016, while Ukraine’s Svitolina, 31, made a run to the women’s semifinals in New York in 2019.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

It wasn’t surprising to me that during our matches the rest of the US fencers hadn’t bothered to cheer for me, especially since I beat Dagmara to get to the semifinals.

From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad

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