a trial of skill in some game, in which competitors play a series of contests:
a chess tournament.
2.
a meeting for contests in a variety of sports, as between teams of different nations.
3.
History/Historical.
a contest or martial sport in which two opposing parties of mounted and armored combatants fought for a prize, with blunted weapons and in accordance with certain rules.
a meeting at an appointed time and place for the performance of knightly exercises and sports.
Origin
1175-1225;Middle Englishtornement < Old Frenchtorneiement, equivalent to torne(ier) to tourney + -ment-ment
Related forms
pretournament, noun
Examples from the web for tournament
tournament hoops time, combined with one week of break.
About three weeks before each big tournament he would enter a bubble of concentration that muffled even the crowd's applause.
Or even at your low-geared, single-speed polo bike tournament.
Yea, the likelihood for this play to be a gamble could be higher than in the case of the tournament.
Academia is a tournament system, the average reward is poor, and many loose.
But when he reached the city he learned that the tournament had been postponed for two months.
The projects will offset all the soccer tournament's emissions.
He slept through his high school basketball team's tournament and his senior prom.
Imagine that you are watching a film of an archery tournament.
Her coach will not be asked to come back to the tournament next year.
British Dictionary definitions for tournament
tournament
/ˈtʊənəmənt; ˈtɔː-; ˈtɜː-/
noun
1.
a sporting competition in which contestants play a series of games to determine an overall winner
2.
a meeting for athletic or other sporting contestants: an archery tournament
3.
(medieval history)
(originally) a martial sport or contest in which mounted combatants fought for a prize
(later) a meeting for knightly sports and exercises
Word Origin
C13: from Old French torneiement, from torneier to fight on horseback, literally: to turn, from the constant wheeling round of the combatants; see tourney
Word Origin and History for tournament
n.
c.1300, "medieval martial arts contest," from Old French torneiement "contest between groups of knights on horseback" (mid-12c.), from torneier "to joust, tilt" (see tourney). Modern use, in reference to games of skill, is recorded from 1761.