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

• cavalcade

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

The couple met in a fitness class in 2007 while attending Auburn University, where Lindsay, a former beauty queen in local pageants around her home town of Dothan, Ala., was a cheerleader, and Robert, a Georgia native, was a long snapper on the football team. —Liam Quinn, People.com, 26 Mar. 2025

In ancient Persia, the charming Jewish orphan for whom the book is named wins King Ahasuerus’s beauty pageant and becomes queen of a massive empire, while keeping her Jewishness secret. —Tal Fortgang, National Review, 14 Mar. 2025

The nighttime sky will, as is its wont, continue to put on its pageants. —Jeffrey Kluger, TIME, 11 Mar. 2025

What To Know Bautista, 22, a former competitive cheer athlete and Miss Buckhead USA 2025, is set to become the first transgender contestant in Miss Georgia USA pageant on June 12. —Ross Rosenfeld, Newsweek, 25 Feb. 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