championship

championship — noun

1. a series of contests held to find which individual or group is the strongest at

1.nounB1
Definition

a series of contests held to find which individual or group is the strongest at a particular sport, with the champion earning a prize or honour

Example

Leila won her first tennis championship at age fifteen.

countable: a championship

The annual sailing championship attracts competitors from over thirty countries.

Common collocations
  • national championship
  • state championship
  • world championship
  • championship game
  • championship match
  • championship title
Synonyms
  • tournament

    A tournament is a broader term for a series of elimination games; every championship is a tournament, but not every tournament awards a champion.

  • title

    Title can refer to the championship itself ('she won the title') or the rank of champion; 'championship' is slightly more formal.

  • competition

    A competition is any event where people try to win; a championship is a specific high-level type of competition.

  • finals

    Finals refer specifically to the last games of a championship, not the whole event.

Grammar Patterns

championship + of + [sport]

the + championship + final / game / match

Usage Note

Often used with a sport name as a compound modifier, e.g. 'football championship' or 'golf championship'. The word 'title' is sometimes used synonymously in sports contexts.

Common Mistakes

We watched the championship of football on TV.
We watched the football championship on TV.
The sport name comes before 'championship', not after it with 'of'.

2. the position or rank of being the officially recognised winner of a competition,

2.nounB2
Definition

the position or rank of being the officially recognised winner of a competition, kept until the next edition of the event

Example

Yusuf held the heavyweight boxing championship for five consecutive years.

collocation: hold / defend the championship

Priya dreamed of winning the championship ever since she first picked up a racket.

Common collocations
  • hold the championship
  • win the championship
  • lose the championship
  • defend the championship
  • retain the championship
  • championship reign
Synonyms
  • title

    More common in informal sports talk ('she won the title'). 'Championship' is slightly more formal.

  • crown

    A metaphorical term used mostly in journalism and sports commentary ('she retained her crown').

  • honour

    A general term for awards; less specific than 'championship'.

Grammar Patterns

win / hold / lose / defend + the championship

the + championship

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 1: sense 1 names the event itself ('the championship was held in Paris'), while sense 2 names the status awarded ('they won the championship'). Verbs such as 'hold', 'keep', 'lose', 'retain', and 'defend' are typical for this sense.

Common Mistakes

The championship is in Tokyo this year' (when you mean the event).
The championship tournament is in Tokyo this year
use sense 1 for the event location.

3. the act of actively supporting, defending, or speaking strongly in favour of a c

3.nounC1
Definition

the act of actively supporting, defending, or speaking strongly in favour of a cause, a group, or another person's rights

Example

The senator is known for her championship of workers' rights in the textile industry.

pattern: championship + of + [cause]

The charity's championship of equal access to education has changed thousands of lives.

Common collocations
  • championship of human rights
  • championship of reform
  • strong championship
  • passionate championship
  • outspoken championship
Synonyms
  • advocacy

    More common than 'championship' in this sense. 'Advocacy' often suggests professional or organised support, while 'championship' implies personal conviction.

  • defence

    Focuses on protecting something under attack; 'championship' is broader, covering both defence and promotion.

  • support

    More general and less forceful. 'Support' can be passive, whereas 'championship' implies active, vocal backing.

Antonyms
  • opposition

    The opposite of active support for a cause.

  • criticism

    Expressing negative judgement rather than defending or promoting.

Grammar Patterns

championship + of + [cause / right / person]

someone's + championship + of + [something]

Usage Note

This sense is uncountable — 'the championship of human rights' (no article). Frequently used with 'of' + an abstract noun (rights, reform, equality, justice). Formal register; uncommon in everyday conversation.

Common Mistakes

She gave a championship to the cause.
She showed championship of the cause.
'Championship' in this sense is not a countable gift; use 'championship of' or 'championing'.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words relate to winning in sports, but they refer to different things. A 'championship' is a high-level competition that decides the best player or team — it is both the event and the prize. A 'tournament' is a broader term for any series of elimination rounds; all championships are tournaments, but not all tournaments award a champion (some are for ranking only). A 'title' is what the winner holds — 'she won the world title'. A 'trophy' is the physical object given to the winner, not the competition itself. For example: 'The tennis championship was held in Paris; the winner received a crystal trophy and held the title for a year.' Use 'championship' when you mean the whole competition event, 'tournament' for any multi-round format, 'title' for the rank of champion, and 'trophy' for the physical prize.

championship ↗tournament ↗title ↗trophy ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • win a championship
  • lose a championship
  • compete in a championship
  • championship season
  • championship round

Prepositions

  • in (a championship)
  • of (a championship)
  • through (the championship)

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

The word 'championship' combines 'champion' (from Old French 'champion' meaning a combatant or warrior, which came from Latin 'campio' — a gladiator who fought in the arena, from 'campus' meaning field) with the suffix '-ship' (indicating a state, condition, or quality). The sense of a contest to determine the best player or team dates from the early 19th century, while the abstract sense of active support or advocacy emerged later, extending the idea of fighting for a cause.