cham·pi·on
ˈcham-pē-ən 
1
: a winner of first prize or first place in competition
a tennis champion
also
: one who shows marked superiority
a champion at selling
2
: a militant advocate or defender
a champion of civil rights
4
: one that does battle for another's rights or honor
God will raise me up a champion—
Sir Walter Scott
Sir Walter Scott
championed; championing; champions
2
: to protect or fight for as a champion
championed the ladies chivalrously in the tilts
Synonyms
Examples of champion in a Sentence
Noun
the heavyweight boxing champion of the world
Our team will play the defending champions next week.
the newly crowned national champions
He was a champion for the working classes.
Verb
She is a lawyer who champions children's rights.
Our senator championed the idea of lowering taxes.
Recent Examples on the WebKevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2024
Recent Miss Congeniality champions all went on to star in commercials that premiered during ad breaks of the next season's broadcast.
—EW.com, 20 Apr. 2024
Boise State won its fifth Mountain West title in program history last season, and there’s a good chance the Broncos will be the preseason favorites to repeat as champions.
—Ron Counts, Idaho Statesman, 20 Apr. 2024
The 6-foot-2 forward with scholarship offers from powerhouses such as South Carolina and Notre Dame averaged 22 points and eight rebounds per game for the Central Coast Section and NorCal Open Division champions.
—Nathan Canilao, The Mercury News, 19 Apr. 2024
Hastings Athletics: Wrestling: Three-time individual state champion.
—Pioneer Press, Twin Cities, 19 Apr. 2024
The performer with the fewest number of votes would unmask immediately and the other two would face off in the Battle Royale to be named Group A champion.
—Dana Rose Falcone, Peoplemag, 18 Apr. 2024
Lorenzen, meanwhile, opened his 10th season with the reigning World Series champions, the Texas Rangers.
—Brian Robin, Orange County Register, 18 Apr. 2024
Mina then lit a torch held by Greece’s Olympic rowing champion, Stefanos Ntouskos.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Apr. 2024
Jeremy W. Peters, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2024
And this wouldn't be the first time she's championed a new trend.
—Luz García, Glamour, 20 Apr. 2024
Thompson, a Shawnee Republican championing the proposal, invoked national security.
—Jonathan Shorman, Kansas City Star, 11 Apr. 2024
The measure — championed by Newsom — will help restructure the state's mental health system and curb the homeless crisis.
—Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY, 11 Apr. 2024
Consumer advocacy groups like Free Press and Consumer Reports have championed the labels and pushed for their implementation since 2009.
—Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 10 Apr. 2024
That trend was underscored in January, when Taiwanese voters shrugged off warnings by China and handed the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) a historic third term by electing Lai Ching-te, who has long faced Beijing’s wrath for championing Taiwan’s sovereignty.
—Nectar Gan, CNN, 10 Apr. 2024
Solange has an affinity for brands like Ferragamo and Wales Bonner while Bey has notably championed Black designers throughout her entire Renaissance Tour.
—Kerane Marcellus, Essence, 10 Apr. 2024
Democrats who have long championed civil liberties, like Sen. Ron Wyden, have aligned with Republican supporters of Trump, who in a post on Truth Social on Wednesday stated incorrectly that Section 702 had been used to spy on his presidential campaign.
—CBS News, 10 Apr. 2024
Noun
But if the playoff history with the Oilers isn’t exactly reassuring, there are some similarities between this Kings team and the franchise’s first Stanley Cup champion in 2012 that are far more encouraging.
—Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2024
Recent Miss Congeniality champions all went on to star in commercials that premiered during ad breaks of the next season's broadcast.
—EW.com, 20 Apr. 2024
Boise State won its fifth Mountain West title in program history last season, and there’s a good chance the Broncos will be the preseason favorites to repeat as champions.
—Ron Counts, Idaho Statesman, 20 Apr. 2024
The 6-foot-2 forward with scholarship offers from powerhouses such as South Carolina and Notre Dame averaged 22 points and eight rebounds per game for the Central Coast Section and NorCal Open Division champions.
—Nathan Canilao, The Mercury News, 19 Apr. 2024
Hastings Athletics: Wrestling: Three-time individual state champion.
—Pioneer Press, Twin Cities, 19 Apr. 2024
The performer with the fewest number of votes would unmask immediately and the other two would face off in the Battle Royale to be named Group A champion.
—Dana Rose Falcone, Peoplemag, 18 Apr. 2024
Lorenzen, meanwhile, opened his 10th season with the reigning World Series champions, the Texas Rangers.
—Brian Robin, Orange County Register, 18 Apr. 2024
Mina then lit a torch held by Greece’s Olympic rowing champion, Stefanos Ntouskos.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Apr. 2024
Verb
During the 2020 campaign, Mr. Trump tried to cast himself in the tradition of Republicans like Nixon, who championed themselves as the guardians of law and order.
—Jeremy W. Peters, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2024
And this wouldn't be the first time she's championed a new trend.
—Luz García, Glamour, 20 Apr. 2024
Thompson, a Shawnee Republican championing the proposal, invoked national security.
—Jonathan Shorman, Kansas City Star, 11 Apr. 2024
The measure — championed by Newsom — will help restructure the state's mental health system and curb the homeless crisis.
—Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY, 11 Apr. 2024
Consumer advocacy groups like Free Press and Consumer Reports have championed the labels and pushed for their implementation since 2009.
—Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 10 Apr. 2024
That trend was underscored in January, when Taiwanese voters shrugged off warnings by China and handed the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) a historic third term by electing Lai Ching-te, who has long faced Beijing’s wrath for championing Taiwan’s sovereignty.
—Nectar Gan, CNN, 10 Apr. 2024
Solange has an affinity for brands like Ferragamo and Wales Bonner while Bey has notably championed Black designers throughout her entire Renaissance Tour.
—Kerane Marcellus, Essence, 10 Apr. 2024
Democrats who have long championed civil liberties, like Sen. Ron Wyden, have aligned with Republican supporters of Trump, who in a post on Truth Social on Wednesday stated incorrectly that Section 702 had been used to spy on his presidential campaign.
—CBS News, 10 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'champion.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Champion.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/champion. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
champion
1 of 2 noun
cham·pi·on
ˈcham-pē-ən
1
: a person who fights or speaks for another person or in favor of a cause
2
: the winner of first prize or first place in a competition
also
: one showing superior skill or ability
champion
2 of 2 verb
: to protect or fight for as a champion
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