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tournament

[ toor-nuh-muhnt, tur- ]
/ ˈtʊər nə mənt, ˈtɜr- /
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noun
a trial of skill in some game, in which competitors play a series of contests: a chess tournament.
a meeting for contests in a variety of sports, as between teams of different nations.
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.
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Origin of tournament

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

OTHER WORDS FROM tournament

pre·tour·na·ment, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use tournament in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for tournament

tournament
/ (ˈtʊənəmənt, ˈtɔː-, ˈtɜː-) /

noun
a sporting competition in which contestants play a series of games to determine an overall winner
a meeting for athletic or other sporting contestantsan archery tournament
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

Word Origin for tournament

C13: from Old French torneiement, from torneier to fight on horseback, literally: to turn, from the constant wheeling round of the combatants; see tourney
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
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