tournament
Americannoun
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tournaments
plural
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a trial of skill in some game, in which competitors play a series of contests.
a chess tournament.
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a meeting for contests in a variety of sports, as between teams of different nations.
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History/Historical.
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a contest or martial sport in which two opposing parties of mounted and armored combatants fought for a prize, with blunted weapons and in accordance with certain rules.
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a meeting at an appointed time and place for the performance of knightly exercises and sports.
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noun
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a sporting competition in which contestants play a series of games to determine an overall winner
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a meeting for athletic or other sporting contestants
an archery tournament
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medieval history
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(originally) a martial sport or contest in which mounted combatants fought for a prize
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(later) a meeting for knightly sports and exercises
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Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of tournament
1175–1225; Middle English tornement < Old French torneiement, equivalent to torne ( ier ) to tourney + -ment -ment
Explanation
A tournament refers to a gathering of competitors playing a series of games. There are chess tournaments, golf tournaments, tennis tournaments, and a number of tournaments titled “Tournament of Champions.” In medieval times, large groups of knights would gather and compete in a tournament. These tournaments were composed of a number of fighting events. In the melee event, the knights were divided into two teams which would ride at each other with lances, trying to unhorse the opposing knights. There is evidence that weapons were not blunted for these tournaments. Ouch.
Vocabulary lists containing tournament
March Vocabulary Words
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English Words Derived from French, List 2
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List 8
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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:
Nearby is the Black Desert Resort, which hosts an annual PGA Tour golf tournament.
From Salon ● Oct. 11, 2026
In a sport full of elaborate buzz cuts and eye-searing bleach jobs, Erling’s striking blond mane, pulled into a tight bun, became one of the enduring images of the tournament.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026
US Open organisers accredited 100 influencers and content creators for this year's tournament.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
England also finished as runners-up in 1975, when the tournament was contested in a league format.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
She was concerned that he’d exhaust himself playing in a third tournament within two months.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
They sometimes scout collegiate chess and poker tournaments, looking for people who are uncannily good at playing the odds and anticipating what will happen next.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
"I think they've probably got maybe four tournaments to have a crack at. The group's in a fantastic place."
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
In baseball, the biggest corporate player is Perfect Game, which puts on nearly 10,000 tournaments, showcases and other events a year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026
Williams bought his son a $60 used bat, avoids pricey out-of-state tournaments and practices with his son at a local park rather than paying for private lessons.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026
He'd won tournaments and competitions and had been trying to get Ms. Wockley to convince Mr. Jarrett to start a gaming league at the school.
From "Look Both Ways" by Jason Reynolds
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.
