tournament

noun

tour·​na·​ment ˈtu̇r-nə-mənt 

 also  ˈtər-,

 or  ˈtȯr-

1

: a series of games or contests that make up a single unit of competition (as on a professional golf tour), the championship playoffs of a league or conference, or an invitational event

2

a

: a knightly sport of the Middle Ages between mounted combatants armed with blunted lances or swords and divided into two parties contesting for a prize or favor bestowed by the lady of the tournament

b

: the whole series of knightly sports, jousts, and tilts occurring at one time and place

Synonyms

• bout
• competition
• contest
• event
• game
• match
• matchup
• meet
• sweepstakes
• sweep-stake
• tourney

Examples of tournament in a Sentence

She's an excellent tennis player who has won many tournaments.

a golf tournament in which professionals compete against amateurs

Recent Examples on the Web

The Miami guard scored 30 points, and the team’s loss put them in the 10th spot in the playoffs – at the edge of the play-in tournament. —Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 10 Apr. 2025

The Heat can finish the regular season anywhere between eighth and 10th place in the East, as the NBA’s play-in tournament features the seventh-through-10th-place teams competing for the final two playoff seeds in each conference. —Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 10 Apr. 2025

The Kings defeated the Golden State Warriors in the first round of the play-in tournament before losing to the New Orleans Pelicans in a game that would have sent them to the playoffs as the No. —Jason Anderson, Sacbee.com, 10 Apr. 2025

The first round of the tournament, which is held at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia, begins Thursday and continues into the weekend. —Rebecca Morin, USA Today, 9 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English tornement, from Anglo-French turneiement, from turneier

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

Phrases Containing tournament

• pre-tournament

Kids Definition

tournament

noun

tour·​na·​ment ˈtu̇r-nə-mənt 

 also  ˈtər-,

 or  ˈtȯr-

1

: a contest of skill and courage between knights wearing armor and fighting with blunted lances or swords

2

: a contest or series of contests played for a championship