Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

semifinalist

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

noun

Sports.
  1. a participant or one qualified to participate in a semifinal.


semifinalist British  
/ ˌsɛmɪˈfaɪnəlɪst /

noun

  1. a player or team taking part in a semifinal

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of semifinalist

1920–25; semifinal + -ist, on the model of finalist

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 other women’s semifinal pits recent French Open semifinalist and No. 12 seed Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine versus No. 9 seed Linda Noskova of Czechia.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 8, 2026

In the first finals appearance for both programs, Oak Park swept the last four courts to claim the inaugural Division 4 crown against Campbell Hall, a Division 3 semifinalist last season.

From Los Angeles Times May 2, 2026

Neff was also a semifinalist for a regional Best Chef award for his former restaurant PinPoint in 2019, as well as for Seabird in 2023.

From Salon Aug. 20, 2024

It came from experience: He had been a semifinalist on the “Jeopardy!” college championship, won $20,000 on “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,” and banked $50,000 on “The $100,000 Pyramid.”

From New York Times May 30, 2024

The extra sign announced that the town’s Under-14s team was the third runner-up in the interstate Hundred-Yard Sprint, or that the town was the home of the Illinois Girls’ Under-16s Wrestling semifinalist.

From "American Gods" by Neil Gaiman

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Look it up. Learn it forever.

Remember new words for good with VocabTrainer. Expand your vocabulary effortlessly with personalized learning tools that adapt to your goals.

Take me to Vocabulary.com