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semifinalist

American

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

noun

Sports.

a participant or one qualified to participate in a semifinal.

semifinalist British

/ ˌsɛmɪˈfaɪnəlɪst /

noun

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.

He is currently a Pro Football Hall of Fame semifinalist, although his eligibility for that honor may soon get pushed back.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 11, 2025

That’s what made him such an outstanding NFL quarterback, and it’s part of the reason he’s a Hall of Fame semifinalist.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 10, 2025

What is your response to your recent James Beard semifinalist nomination?

From Salon • Feb. 4, 2025

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

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023