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

This tour’s round-robin format, with three or four songs from each artist before swapping out on the same set, showed Charli’s generosity and thrill for collaboration. —August Brown, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2024

The eight-week Unrivaled season will see the teams play a round-robin schedule, with the top four teams making the playoffs. —Dade Hayes, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2024

Each of these teams have played 20 matches, and will play a match a day round-robin style against the other three teams there to finish out the slate. —Todd Boss, Forbes, 30 Sep. 2024

All teams will play a five-week, round-robin schedule against the other teams in their division and to determine seeding for the playoffs, which begin in November. —Erik Matuszewski, Forbes, 24 Sep. 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