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
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
Miss Congeniality, a movie about a fake beauty pageant contestant, hits the streaming site on Feb. 1, while a movie about a real beauty pageant, Miss Italia Mustn't Die, comes out on Feb. 26.
—
Olivia B. Waxman, TIME, 1 Feb. 2025
Marla, his second, hosted the Miss Universe pageant.
—Dan Alexander, Forbes, 1 Feb. 2025
The kindergartner was following the footsteps of her beauty queen mother, Patsy, a former Miss West Virginia, frequently participating in child pageants.
—Jean Casarez, CNN, 28 Jan. 2025
In an op-ed piece written for USA Today on Jan. 3, Marsh detailed her reasoning for entering the pageant world in the first place.
—Christina Dugan Ramirez, Fox News, 7 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for pageant 
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Olivia B. Waxman, TIME, 1 Feb. 2025
Marla, his second, hosted the Miss Universe pageant.
—Dan Alexander, Forbes, 1 Feb. 2025
The kindergartner was following the footsteps of her beauty queen mother, Patsy, a former Miss West Virginia, frequently participating in child pageants.
—Jean Casarez, CNN, 28 Jan. 2025
In an op-ed piece written for USA Today on Jan. 3, Marsh detailed her reasoning for entering the pageant world in the first place.
—Christina Dugan Ramirez, Fox News, 7 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for pageant
Dictionary Entries Near pageant
Cite this Entry
“Pageant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pageant. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
pageant
noun
pag·eant
ˈpaj-ənt 
1
: an impressive exhibition or spectacle
2
: an entertainment consisting of scenes based on history or legend
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