round-robin

noun

round-rob·​in ˈrau̇nd-ˌrä-bən 

1

a

: a written petition, memorial, or protest to which the signatures are affixed in a circle so as not to indicate who signed first

b

: a statement signed by several persons

c

: something (such as a letter) sent in turn to the members of a group each of whom signs and forwards it sometimes after adding comment

2

: roundtable sense 1

3

: a tournament in which every contestant meets every other contestant in turn

4

: series, round

Synonyms

• colloquy
• conference
• council
• forum
• panel
• panel discussion
• parley
• roundtable
• seminar
• symposium

Examples of round-robin in a Sentence

a round-robin to discuss the epidemic of performance-enhancing drugs plaguing professional sports

Recent Examples on the Web

But the 25-year-old, who was born in Russia and represents Kazakhstan, returned for the WTA Finals and scored a round-robin victory over No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka. —Brett Knight, Forbes, 18 Dec. 2024

There would be groups, played on a round-robin, home-and-away basis, and then knockout play-offs, presumably culminating in some sort of final. —Rory Smith, The Athletic, 18 Dec. 2024

For its part, the Premier League have replied with their own legal round-robin. —Jacob Whitehead, The Athletic, 20 Nov. 2024

With a 2-0 record in the round-robin play, Gauff moved to the top of the Orange table. —Manasi Pathak, Forbes, 6 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

from the name Robin

First Known Use

1698, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

round-robin

noun

ˈrau̇n-ˌdräb-ən

1

: a letter (as of protest) whose signers put their signatures in a circle so the receiver cannot tell who signed first

2

: a tournament in which every contestant plays once against every other contestant