cham·pi·on
ˈcham-pē-ən 
1
: a winner of first prize or first place in competition
a tennis champion
also
: one who shows marked superiority
a champion at selling
2
: a militant advocate or defender
a champion of civil rights
4
: one that does battle for another's rights or honor
God will raise me up a champion—
Sir Walter Scott
Sir Walter Scott
championed; championing; champions
2
: to protect or fight for as a champion
championed the ladies chivalrously in the tilts
Synonyms
Examples of champion in a Sentence
Noun
the heavyweight boxing champion of the world
Our team will play the defending champions next week.
the newly crowned national champions
He was a champion for the working classes.
Verb
She is a lawyer who champions children's rights.
Our senator championed the idea of lowering taxes.
Recent Examples on the WebJennifer Dixon, Detroit Free Press, 9 Apr. 2024
All of this is at stake in Trump’s ultimate lie: his claim to be a champion of democracy rather than the architect of its demise.
—Serena Mayeri, TIME, 9 Apr. 2024
Ryan is also a longtime champion of New York City’s tech scene.
—Allie Garfinkle, Fortune, 9 Apr. 2024
That win earned the Mavericks the Brabham Cup, awarded annually to the ECHL’s regular-season champion.
—Zach Welch, Kansas City Star, 8 Apr. 2024
Each champion’s successful defense ahead of their respective pursuits of Olympic success provided fitting punctuation to an all-around idyllic spring North County day.
—Kyle Kensing, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Apr. 2024
Spanish football crowns a new champion today as Athletic Club faces off against Mallorca in the 2024 Copa del Rey Final.
—Tim Chan, Variety, 6 Apr. 2024
As a volunteer, Kidston ran video cameras for his church in Los Angeles, gave considerable time to nonprofits and was a champion for the disabled community.
—Mike Barnes, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Apr. 2024
The margin for error against the defending national champions was tissue-paper thin.
—Bryce Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Mar. 2024
CBS News, 10 Apr. 2024
That year, President Biden, who championed the legislation, toured the TSMC complex.
—Russ Wiles, The Arizona Republic, 9 Apr. 2024
But Coulter was quick to divert from big business to champion small ones and the proverbial little guys and gals — those struggling to pay for education after high school, or to rent or buy homes, or to start small businesses.
—Bill Laytner, Detroit Free Press, 5 Apr. 2024
Mendelsohn, who owns six El Pollo Loco locations, has long championed workers’ rights, including helping trans workers connect with jobs.
—Natasha Chen, CNN, 1 Apr. 2024
His sentencing marks a major setback for the philosophy of Effective Altruism (EA), which SBF ardently championed.
—James Broughel, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
Whether on platforms like Etsy and Instagram or the aisles of prominent retailers including Sephora and Ulta, Black consumers are actively and deliberately championing products crafted for and by us.
—Ebony Flake, Essence, 29 Mar. 2024
These were made for a variety of purposes: rehearsals, demonstrations, performances, as a sounding board for ideas, as a way to persuade conductors and programmers to champion the work.
—Hugh Morris, New York Times, 29 Mar. 2024
Men like me – older and whiter – must be the first to champion women and diverse ethnicity in our modern world with our votes, at the polls and on boards which pick today’s corporate leaders.
—Peter Georgescu, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
Noun
The 1936-37 sports season was a banner year for Detroit's professional teams and athletes: The Tigers won the World Series, Joe Louis was the heavyweight boxing champion of the world, the Detroit Red Wings won their first Stanley Cup, and the Detroit Lions won its first National Championship.
—Jennifer Dixon, Detroit Free Press, 9 Apr. 2024
All of this is at stake in Trump’s ultimate lie: his claim to be a champion of democracy rather than the architect of its demise.
—Serena Mayeri, TIME, 9 Apr. 2024
Ryan is also a longtime champion of New York City’s tech scene.
—Allie Garfinkle, Fortune, 9 Apr. 2024
That win earned the Mavericks the Brabham Cup, awarded annually to the ECHL’s regular-season champion.
—Zach Welch, Kansas City Star, 8 Apr. 2024
Each champion’s successful defense ahead of their respective pursuits of Olympic success provided fitting punctuation to an all-around idyllic spring North County day.
—Kyle Kensing, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Apr. 2024
Spanish football crowns a new champion today as Athletic Club faces off against Mallorca in the 2024 Copa del Rey Final.
—Tim Chan, Variety, 6 Apr. 2024
As a volunteer, Kidston ran video cameras for his church in Los Angeles, gave considerable time to nonprofits and was a champion for the disabled community.
—Mike Barnes, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Apr. 2024
The margin for error against the defending national champions was tissue-paper thin.
—Bryce Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Mar. 2024
Verb
Democrats who have long championed civil liberties, like Sen. Ron Wyden, have aligned with Republican supporters of Trump, who in a post on Truth Social on Wednesday stated incorrectly that Section 702 had been used to spy on his presidential campaign.
—CBS News, 10 Apr. 2024
That year, President Biden, who championed the legislation, toured the TSMC complex.
—Russ Wiles, The Arizona Republic, 9 Apr. 2024
But Coulter was quick to divert from big business to champion small ones and the proverbial little guys and gals — those struggling to pay for education after high school, or to rent or buy homes, or to start small businesses.
—Bill Laytner, Detroit Free Press, 5 Apr. 2024
Mendelsohn, who owns six El Pollo Loco locations, has long championed workers’ rights, including helping trans workers connect with jobs.
—Natasha Chen, CNN, 1 Apr. 2024
His sentencing marks a major setback for the philosophy of Effective Altruism (EA), which SBF ardently championed.
—James Broughel, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
Whether on platforms like Etsy and Instagram or the aisles of prominent retailers including Sephora and Ulta, Black consumers are actively and deliberately championing products crafted for and by us.
—Ebony Flake, Essence, 29 Mar. 2024
These were made for a variety of purposes: rehearsals, demonstrations, performances, as a sounding board for ideas, as a way to persuade conductors and programmers to champion the work.
—Hugh Morris, New York Times, 29 Mar. 2024
Men like me – older and whiter – must be the first to champion women and diverse ethnicity in our modern world with our votes, at the polls and on boards which pick today’s corporate leaders.
—Peter Georgescu, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'champion.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin campion-, campio, of West Germanic origin; akin to Old English cempa warrior
First Known Use
Noun
13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3
Verb
circa 1616, in the meaning defined at sense 3
Time Traveler
The first known use of champion was
in the 13th century
Phrases Containing champion
Articles Related to champion
Dictionary Entries Near champion
Cite this Entry
“Champion.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/champion. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
champion
1 of 2 noun
cham·pi·on
ˈcham-pē-ən
1
: a person who fights or speaks for another person or in favor of a cause
2
: the winner of first prize or first place in a competition
also
: one showing superior skill or ability
champion
2 of 2 verb
: to protect or fight for as a champion
More from Merriam-Webster on champion
Nglish: Translation of champion for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of champion for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about champion
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