semifinal

American  

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

adjective

1. of or relating to the round preceding the final one in a tournament from which losers are eliminated.

2. (in boxing) of or relating to the second most important bout on a card, usually immediately preceding the main bout.

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noun

semifinals plural

1. a semifinal contest or round.

2. (in boxing) the second most important bout on a card.

semifinal British  

/ ˌsɛmɪˈfaɪnəl /

noun

1. 1. the round before the final in a competition

   2. ( as modifier )

      the semifinal draw

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• semifinals
  plural

Etymology

Origin of semifinal

First recorded in 1880–85; semi- + final

Explanation

In sports, a semifinal is the next-to the last game (or series of games) in a big tournament. In a semifinal, four teams or players compete against each other for a spot in the final round. Professional sports like hockey, soccer, and basketball — as well as competitive activities including poker and debate — have a series of elimination rounds before a winner is declared. The very last of those playoff games is the semifinal, a word that was coined in the 1860s from the Latin semi, "half," and final, whose Latin root means "end." The round before the semifinal, in which eight teams play, is called a quarterfinal.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

semifinal semifinals

At this World Cup, authorities didn’t bother segregating them, including at the potentially fractious semifinal between ancient enemies England and Argentina.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026

Spain will meet the winner of Wednesday’s second semifinal between England and reigning champion Argentina on Sunday at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026

Spain will play the winner of the semifinal match between England and Argentina.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026

The buzz: This game would be far better suited as a final than a semifinal.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026

Stan lost a closely fought semifinal match to the Argentinian, Guillermo Vilas, but he and Lutz handily won the doubles crown.

From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane

Its captain, Lionel Messi, finished the semifinals leading the tournament with contributions on 12 goals — eight goals and four assists.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2026

The Three Lions have banged in 13 goals on their march to the semifinals.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026

In another column, we could argue the merits of moving the final round of the WBC — the semifinals and championship game — to July, when players “otherwise would be playing in major league games.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026

Gauff ended up losing in the semifinals to Czech player Karolína Muchová.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026

It wasn’t surprising to me that during our matches the rest of the US fencers hadn’t bothered to cheer for me, especially since I beat Dagmara to get to the semifinals.

From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad