spelldown

American

[spel-doun] / ˈspɛlˌdaʊn /

noun

a spelling competition that begins with all the contestants standing and that ends when all but one, the winner, have been required to sit down due to a specified number of misspellings.

Etymology

Origin of spelldown

1940–45, from phrase spell down to outspell others in a spelling match

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.

The 281 kids gathered for the bee socialize outside their cutthroat spelldown.

From Time • May 30, 2013

Beyond the door, in a mulberry-and-cream office, Oveta Culp Hobby, the nation's first Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare, was beginning the biggest spelldown of her career.

From Time Magazine Archive

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