pageants

noun

plural of pageant
1
as in parades
a staged presentation often with music that consists of a procession of narrated or enacted scenes we always put on a Christmas pageant every year

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in exhibits
an elaborate, visually exciting show or event an annual summertime pageant depicting the town's founding and colorful early history

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of pageants The 2025 pageants aired on Queen Beauty Network following the May 2024 resignations of Voigt and Miss Teen USA 2023 UmaSofia Srivastava. — Erin Jensen, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026 Amber Uhler, Miss Michigan USA For Amber Uhler, pageants are intertwined in a unique way with her health. — Tabitha Parent, PEOPLE, 21 Aug. 2026 No stranger to controversy over the past several years, the Miss USA and Miss Teen USA pageants have just landed in another. — Denise Petski, Deadline, 21 Aug. 2026 Venezuelan lawyer and designer Prince Julio César, director of Miss Universe Cuba, stated at the conclusion of the event that the finalists would continue working with the organization to prepare them for other beauty pageants. — Sarah Moreno, Miami Herald, 21 Aug. 2026 In 2024, The CW sealed a three-year deal to air the Miss USA and Miss Teen USA pageants — although the network didn’t air the pageants in 2025. — Michael Schneider, Variety, 21 Aug. 2026 However, in 2025, the pageants aired on the Queen Beauty Network, which focuses on fashion, beauty, and pageant industries. — Marina Watts, Entertainment Weekly, 21 Aug. 2026 JonBenét’s involvement in beauty pageants became fodder for tabloids, suspicion surrounded her parents even after they had been cleared as suspects, and numerous theories developed regarding who killed her. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 20 Aug. 2026 And then there’d be pictures of Shelly and April onstage in the beauty pageants. — Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 17 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pageants
  1. parades
  2. exhibits
  3. presentations
  4. exhibitions
  5. panoramas
  6. spectacles
  7. extravaganzas
  8. displays
Noun
  • In mid-July, the annual Watermelon Festival features live entertainment, antique cars, parades, rides, and of course, watermelons.
    — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 23 Aug. 2026
  • Harding and Powell have been making the rounds at parades and festivals where meat raffles offer oversized sausages as prizes.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of parades
Noun
  • The event is expected to feature over 2,000 exhibits from more than 300 exhibitors, including over 150 products making their debut.
    — Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 22 Aug. 2026
  • The Discovery Center offers exhibits, public programs, access to over 11 miles of trails and more.
    — Rashad Alexander August 20, Kansas City Star, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of exhibits
Noun
  • Canva Moves Beyond Making Things Look Good Teachers already use Canva for presentations, worksheets, newsletters and much more.
    — Dan Fitzpatrick, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026
  • The suite includes Word for documents, Excel for spreadsheets and data analysis, PowerPoint for presentations, Outlook for email, OneNote for notes, and Access for database management.
    — StackCommerce Team, PC Magazine, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of presentations
Noun
  • Its exhibitions, residencies, educational initiatives, and workshops have helped create an emerging local art scene and placed Madagascar on the global art scene’s map.
    — Gameli Hamelo, ARTnews.com, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Zavataro has organized exhibitions centering interdisciplinary artist Linda Alterwitz, landscape painter Phyllis Shafer and sculptor Guillermo Bert, among others.
    — News Desk, Artforum, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of exhibitions
Noun
  • Three Fall Must-Dos Take in one of the best fall color panoramas at Brockway Mountain Lookout along Brockway Mountain Drive, linking Copper Harbor and Eagle Harbor, about an hour’s drive north from Houghton.
    — Taryn Shorr-Mckee, Midwest Living, 26 Aug. 2026
  • In general, seek a perch with clear panoramas—such as a hilltop or open field instead of a thick forest.
    — Stephanie Vermillion, Travel + Leisure, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of panoramas
Noun
  • The rumble combines lighting, music and choreography to create one of the show's biggest spectacles.
    — Dillon Thomas, CBS News, 21 Aug. 2026
  • The popularity of the Honey Deuce is still rising with several signature cocktails associated with the biggest spectacles in sports.
    — Jason Jones, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of spectacles
Noun
  • In those films, Nolan retained his auteurist fire while creating big, bold populist extravaganzas.
    — Brent Lang, Variety, 21 July 2026
  • Today, her various closets are brimming with country clothes instead of the designer extravaganzas of yore.
    — Hamish Bowles, Vogue, 5 July 2026
Definition of extravaganzas
Noun
  • With the overhead lights dimmed and soft light spilling from the dioramas, the displays looked like windows to other worlds.
    — Emily Tarinelli, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Each of the six stops offers a different experience where visitors can experience their music, along with virtual stories, artifacts, and multimedia displays.
    — Kristine Hansen, Travel + Leisure, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of displays

Browse Nearby Words

pageantry
pageants
pageboy
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Pageants.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pageants. Accessed 30 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
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!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 28

Why do we say 'break a leg'?
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All