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Synonyms

tournament

American  
[toor-nuh-muhnt, tur-] / ˈtʊər nə mənt, ˈtɜr- /

noun

  1. a trial of skill in some game, in which competitors play a series of contests.

    a chess tournament.

  2. a meeting for contests in a variety of sports, as between teams of different nations.

  3. History/Historical.

    1. 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.

    2. a meeting at an appointed time and place for the performance of knightly exercises and sports.

tournament British  
/ ˈtɜː-, ˈtʊənəmənt, ˈtɔː- /

noun

  1. a sporting competition in which contestants play a series of games to determine an overall winner

  2. a meeting for athletic or other sporting contestants

    an archery tournament

  3. medieval history

    1. (originally) a martial sport or contest in which mounted combatants fought for a prize

    2. (later) a meeting for knightly sports and exercises

"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

Other Word Forms

  • pretournament noun

Etymology

Origin of tournament

1175–1225; Middle English tornement < Old French torneiement, equivalent to torne ( ier ) to tourney + -ment -ment

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.

Coinbase has made sports a central focus of its prediction market strategy, prompting users to “trade the madness” as the college basketball tournament got under way this month.

From Barron's • Apr. 2, 2026

"I'm just really happy, honestly. It's yet another reward for the team's hard work throughout the tournament," Bielle-Biarrey said.

From BBC • Apr. 2, 2026

Orange Lutheran 2, King 1: The Lancers won their first-round game of the Michelle Carew tournament.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 2, 2026

The only consolation now might be that this tournament won’t be held entirely without Italian representation.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

He came back in the second half of the tournament and ended just a half point below Spassky.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

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.