pageant

noun

pag·​eant ˈpa-jənt How to pronounce pageant (audio)
1
a
: a mere show : pretense
b
: an ostentatious display
2
: show, exhibition
especially : an elaborate colorful exhibition or spectacle often with music that consists of a series of tableaux, of a loosely unified drama, or of a procession usually with floats
3

Examples of pageant in a Sentence

They disagreed with the pageant judges. Their church puts on an annual Christmas pageant.
Recent Examples on the Web Started in 1972, the Ms. Wheelchair America pageant is a space for educating and advocating for Americans living with disabilities. Abigail Celaya, The Arizona Republic, 10 Mar. 2024 Chopra Jonas appeared at the pageant in a video message, paying tribute to both Miss World owner Julia Morley and Nita Ambani, winner of the pageant’s Humanitarian Award. Alex Rees, CNN, 9 Mar. 2024 When the members of Greendale's annoying Glee club suffer mental breakdowns, the club's director, Mr. Rad (Taran Killam), tries recruiting the study group to fill in at the Christmas pageant. Chancellor Agard, EW.com, 6 Mar. 2024 Lanteri’s impulse to deflect attention might seem at odds with the look-at-me energy that defines much of the competitive dance world, a lucrative industry that to outsiders can feel about a half-step removed from beauty pageants. Margaret Fuhrer, New York Times, 16 Jan. 2024 At the Miss International National USA pageant, Dr. Ethan (and alter-ego, Ai Mei Shimmer) must rush to the hospital to save a patient, exposing his secret passion. Nick Clement, Variety, 28 Feb. 2024 This collection uses the beauty pageant dynamic and social media vernacular to deliver satirical commentary on the expression of selfhood for artists, probing how the public, online presentation of the self results in its distortion. Ana María Caballero, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024 Jackie Loughery, who parlayed a victory in the first Miss USA pageant into an acting career that included a prominent role opposite future husband Jack Webb in the 1957 military drama The D.I., has died. Mike Barnes, The Hollywood Reporter, 26 Feb. 2024 The series starred Catherine Zeta-Jones as a former pageant queen who was hired to help train young contestants. Keith Langston, Peoplemag, 12 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pageant.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English pagyn, padgeant, literally, scene of a play, from Anglo-French pagine, pagent, from Medieval Latin pagina, perhaps from Latin, page

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of pageant was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near pageant

Cite this Entry

“Pageant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pageant. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

pageant

noun
pag·​eant ˈpaj-ənt How to pronounce pageant (audio)
1
: an impressive exhibition or spectacle
2
: an entertainment consisting of scenes based on history or legend

More from Merriam-Webster on pageant

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!