pageant

noun

pag·​eant ˈpa-jənt 

1

a

: a mere show : pretense

b

: an ostentatious display

2

: show, exhibition

especially : an elaborate colorful exhibition or spectacle often with music that consists of a series of tableaux, of a loosely unified drama, or of a procession usually with floats

3

: pageantry sense 1

Synonyms

• parade
• presentation
• panorama

Examples of pageant in a Sentence

They disagreed with the pageant judges.

Their church puts on an annual Christmas pageant.

Recent Examples on the Web

Jordon was a cheerleader in high school and college, attended Bridgewater State, and remains active on the pageant circuit. —Bill Speros, Boston Herald, 25 June 2025

Fans are also able to purchase POP Pageant Package tickets, which allow access to a pre-show pageant that includes VIP-only merch, a laminate, and early access to venues. —Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 9 June 2025

In the Miss Teen RB pageant, Windsor also tied for the Golden Heart Award for community service. —Elizabeth Marie Himchak, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 June 2025

The plot appears to be pure sports-movie pap, but that might not matter much when the movie is on the track; the racing sequences look like visceral pageants of rubber and steel, putting you in the driver’s seat as fully as Kosinski’s last star vehicle stuck the audience in the cockpit. —A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 20 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English pagyn, padgeant, literally, scene of a play, from Anglo-French pagine, pagent, from Medieval Latin pagina, perhaps from Latin, page

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

pageant

noun

pag·​eant ˈpaj-ənt 

1

: an impressive exhibition or spectacle

2

: an entertainment consisting of scenes based on history or legend