championship
championship
Pronunciation
championship /t͡ʃæm.pi.ən.ʃɪp/
cham /t͡ʃæm/
/t͡ʃ/ - voiceless palato-alveolar affricate
/æ/ - near-open front unrounded vowel
/m/ - bilabial nasal consonant
pi /pi/
/p/ - voiceless bilabial plosive
/i/ - close front unrounded vowel
on /ən/
/ə/ - schwa (mid-central vowel)
/n/ - alveolar nasal consonant
ship /ʃɪp/
/ʃ/ - voiceless palato-alveolar fricative
/ɪ/ - near-close near-front unrounded vowel
/p/ - voiceless bilabial plosive
Word Form Variations
Singular Noun: championship
Plural Noun: championships
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Noun
Definition 1: A competition or series of competitions held to determine a champion in a particular sport, game, or activity.
Synonyms: tournament, contest, competition, challenge, league
Antonyms: exhibition (in the context of not being competitive), friendly (in the context of not being competitive)
Definition 2: The title or status of being a champion; the position of having won a competition.
Synonyms: title, crown, supremacy, victory, triumph
Antonyms: defeat, loss, runner-up, second place
Definition 3: The period during which one holds the title of champion.
Synonyms: reign, tenure, term (in the context of holding a title)
Antonyms: (No direct antonyms; describes a duration, not an opposing concept)
Examples of Use
Books: "After years of dedication, the young boxer finally achieved his dream of winning the world championship title, a moment meticulously detailed in his autobiography." (From Against the Odds: The Mike Tyson Story, published 1989)
Newspapers: "The Kansas City Chiefs secured their second consecutive Super Bowl Championship in a thrilling overtime victory on February 11, 2024." (The New York Times, February 2024)
Online Publications: "Liverpool FC will be looking to clinch the Premier League championship in the upcoming season, aiming to reclaim their dominance in English football." (ESPN.com)
Entertainment Mediums (Film): In the movie Rocky, the climactic fight scene is for the heavyweight boxing championship.
Entertainment Platforms (Video Games): "Players can compete in the FIFA Ultimate Team Championship Series, battling top opponents from around the globe for glory and prizes." (EA Sports FIFA website, retrieved July 2025)
General Public Discourse: "Everyone in town is buzzing about the high school basketball team's incredible run to the state championship game this year."
General Public Discourse: "The debate over who truly deserves the 'greatest of all time' title in tennis often revolves around the number of Grand Slam championships won."
10 Quotes Using Championship
"Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships." (Michael Jordan)
"The ones who want to achieve and win championships motivate themselves." (Mike Ditka)
"I focus on one thing and one thing only - that's trying to win as many championships as I can." (Kobe Bryant)
"To be a great champion you must believe you are the best. If you're not, pretend you are. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion." (Muhammad Ali)
"There's always the motivation of wanting to win. Everybody has that. But a champion needs, in his attitude, a motivation above and beyond winning." (Pat Riley)
"There is no better feeling in the world than the way I felt that night (winning his first NBA championship)." (Magic Johnson)
"I didn't come this far to only come this far, so we've still got further to go." (Tom Brady, often associated with his pursuit of championships)
"Winning isn't always championships." (Michael Jordan)
"What does perfection look like to me? Championship rings." (Kobe Bryant)
"Individuals play the game, but teams win championships." (Bill Parcells)
Etymology
The word "championship" essentially means "the state or position of being a champion" or "a competition to decide a champion." It's built from two older parts: "champion" and the suffix "-ship."
Champion: This word has a longer history. It comes from the Old French word "champion," which meant "combatant" or "one who fights in single combat." This, in turn, came from the Late Latin "campionem," meaning "gladiator" or "fighter in the field." The root of this is the Latin "campus," which meant "field (of combat)." So, originally, a "champion" was someone who fought on a field, often representing someone else or a cause. Over time, it evolved to mean someone who is a first-place performer or shows clear superiority in a contest.
-ship: This is a common English suffix that forms nouns, meaning "quality, condition; act, power, skill; office, position; relation between." Think of words like "friendship" (the state of being friends) or "leadership" (the position of a leader).
When these two parts came together, "championship" was formed. The first known use of "championship" in English is generally traced back to the early 1800s (around 1812-1825). At that time, its primary meaning was "the position or title of a champion." It wasn't until later, around the late 1800s (around 1893), that the meaning shifted to also include "a competition to determine a champion," which is the meaning we commonly use in sports today.
Phrases + Idioms Containing Championship
Championship match/game/bout/season: A crucial contest or period determining the champion.
Championship contender: An individual or team considered likely to win a championship.
Championship ring/trophy: A physical award given to the winner of a championship.
Win the championship: To emerge victorious in a championship competition.
Defend the championship: To successfully retain a championship title against challengers.
Go for the championship: To actively pursue winning a championship.
The road to the championship: The series of games or events leading up to the final championship contest.
A championship performance: An exceptionally high-level display, typical of a champion.
Championship mettle: The inner strength and resilience required to win a championship.
Playing for the title: Competing in the final match or series to determine the champion. (Uses synonym "title")
Crowning a champion: The act of officially recognizing the winner of a championship.
The ultimate prize (of a championship): Referring to the championship itself as the most significant reward.
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of championship from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
