semi·fi·nal
ˌse-mē-ˈfī-nᵊl 
ˌse-ˌmī-,
-mi-
1
: being next to the last in an elimination tournament
2
: of or participating in a semifinal
Examples of semifinal in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Laurence Miedema, The Mercury News, 18 Apr. 2024
What would become of the Falcons after losing in the CIF San Diego Section semifinal playoffs last season?
—Ivan Orozco, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Apr. 2024
The winners of each semifinal will face off in the national championship, which starts at 6:20 p.m. Monday, April 8.
—Michael Salerno, The Arizona Republic, 5 Apr. 2024
The quarterfinal and semifinal draws are set to take place on Friday, where teams will discover their potential route to the final in London’s Wembley Stadium on June 1.
—Ben Church, CNN, 14 Mar. 2024
After Saturday’s game, or following the semifinal if Boston College loses, Smith could announce his intention to return to school for his sophomore season in Chestnut Hill — or sign a contract with the Sharks and turn professional right away.
—Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News, 11 Apr. 2024
Fans pose outside the arena before the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament Final Four semifinal game at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, on Friday.
—Will Ujek, NBC News, 6 Apr. 2024
And now, there are just four teams left standing as the competition enters its semifinal stage.
—Ben Morse, CNN, 5 Apr. 2024
Gabbie Marshall of the Iowa Hawkeyes celebrates after beating the UConn Huskies in the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament Final Four semifinal game at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on April 05, 2024, in Cleveland, Ohio.
—CBS News, 5 Apr. 2024
Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Apr. 2024
Like the senior year McDowell played, Suppan didn’t pitch in the semifinals and Crespi was eliminated.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 21 Apr. 2024
Cal is headed to the finals of the NCAA women’s gymnastics championships for the first time in school history after finishing second in the semifinals 1 session on Thursday in Fort Worth, Texas.
—Laurence Miedema, The Mercury News, 18 Apr. 2024
The 3-2 scoreline sets up an enticing second leg at the Lluís Companys Olympic Stadium in Spain on Tuesday, when a place in the semifinals will be at stake.
—Ben Church, CNN, 11 Apr. 2024
Kylie Kelce attended the semifinals of the NCAA women’s basketball tournament in Cleveland, Ohio, on Friday, meeting plenty of people along the way.
—NBC News, 7 Apr. 2024
Here’s how the first national semifinal started Saturday afternoon at State Farm Arena outside Phoenix:
The 7-foot-4 guy won the opening tip for Purdue.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Apr. 2024
Iowa, UConn join South Carolina, NC State in Friday semifinals
The Iowa Hawkeyes and UConn Huskies will join South Carolina and NC State in Cleveland for the women's Final Four on Friday.
—USA TODAY, 5 Apr. 2024
The subsequent semifinals between Iowa and the University of Connecticut broke that record, attracting 14.2 million TV viewers, ESPN said.
—Vanessa Romo, NPR, 10 Apr. 2024
Adjective
Only the top two teams from each semifinal advance to the Four on the Floor national championship round on Saturday.
—Laurence Miedema, The Mercury News, 18 Apr. 2024
What would become of the Falcons after losing in the CIF San Diego Section semifinal playoffs last season?
—Ivan Orozco, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Apr. 2024
The winners of each semifinal will face off in the national championship, which starts at 6:20 p.m. Monday, April 8.
—Michael Salerno, The Arizona Republic, 5 Apr. 2024
The quarterfinal and semifinal draws are set to take place on Friday, where teams will discover their potential route to the final in London’s Wembley Stadium on June 1.
—Ben Church, CNN, 14 Mar. 2024
After Saturday’s game, or following the semifinal if Boston College loses, Smith could announce his intention to return to school for his sophomore season in Chestnut Hill — or sign a contract with the Sharks and turn professional right away.
—Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News, 11 Apr. 2024
Fans pose outside the arena before the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament Final Four semifinal game at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, on Friday.
—Will Ujek, NBC News, 6 Apr. 2024
And now, there are just four teams left standing as the competition enters its semifinal stage.
—Ben Morse, CNN, 5 Apr. 2024
Gabbie Marshall of the Iowa Hawkeyes celebrates after beating the UConn Huskies in the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament Final Four semifinal game at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on April 05, 2024, in Cleveland, Ohio.
—CBS News, 5 Apr. 2024
Noun
Last season, the Dragons were eliminated in the regional semifinals.
—Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Apr. 2024
Like the senior year McDowell played, Suppan didn’t pitch in the semifinals and Crespi was eliminated.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 21 Apr. 2024
Cal is headed to the finals of the NCAA women’s gymnastics championships for the first time in school history after finishing second in the semifinals 1 session on Thursday in Fort Worth, Texas.
—Laurence Miedema, The Mercury News, 18 Apr. 2024
The 3-2 scoreline sets up an enticing second leg at the Lluís Companys Olympic Stadium in Spain on Tuesday, when a place in the semifinals will be at stake.
—Ben Church, CNN, 11 Apr. 2024
Kylie Kelce attended the semifinals of the NCAA women’s basketball tournament in Cleveland, Ohio, on Friday, meeting plenty of people along the way.
—NBC News, 7 Apr. 2024
Here’s how the first national semifinal started Saturday afternoon at State Farm Arena outside Phoenix:
The 7-foot-4 guy won the opening tip for Purdue.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Apr. 2024
Iowa, UConn join South Carolina, NC State in Friday semifinals
The Iowa Hawkeyes and UConn Huskies will join South Carolina and NC State in Cleveland for the women's Final Four on Friday.
—USA TODAY, 5 Apr. 2024
The subsequent semifinals between Iowa and the University of Connecticut broke that record, attracting 14.2 million TV viewers, ESPN said.
—Vanessa Romo, NPR, 10 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'semifinal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near semifinal
Cite this Entry
“Semifinal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/semifinal. Accessed 27 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
semifinal
1 of 2 adjective
semi·fi·nal
ˌsem-i-ˈfīn-ᵊl
1
: coming before the final round in a tournament
2
: of or taking part in a semifinal
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