championship
(ˈtʃæmpɪənʃɪp)
[f. champion + -ship.]
1. The position or office of a champion; the acting as champion of; advocacy, defence.
| 1840 Hood Up Rhine 228 Markham's extempore championship of the twelve tribes. 1869 Seeley Ess. & Lect. i. 7 Cæsar's championship of the provincials. 1876 Mozley Univ. Serm. i. 12 The most disinterested of conceivable championships, the championship of the theory of persecution without the advantage of the fact, which is now no longer possible. |
2. a. The position of ‘champion’, conqueror, or superior in any contest or trial.
| 1825 Hone Every-day Bk. I. 427 A modern pugilist would call this a set-to for the championship. 1887 G. C. Boase in Dict. Nat. Biog. IX. 332/1 He..met Bendigo..on 9 Sept. 1845, and..contested for 200l. and the championship. |
b. attrib.
| 1874 J. Heath Croquet-Player 93 The championship meeting..when ‘The Championship of Croquet’..is competed for. 1881 Echo 17 Jan. 4/2 The Championship Billiard Match..Quickest time on record in a championship match. |
c. A competition or contest for the position of champion; a series of matches between members of a sporting league.
| 1893 Football News 9 Sept. 6/4 Anthony [Diamond]..waited patiently until the amateur championships should once more come round. 1935 Encycl. Sports 529/1 The League organizes two competitions, the Challenge Cup competition and the Championship, these being a knock-out tournament and a competition awarded on points, respectively. 1963 Cricket Q. I. 5 If your concern is merely with the county championship, you need Wisden, but if you need to study cricket at large in the latter half of the last century, you need the Lillywhites. 1975 Oxf. Compan. Sports & Games 351/1 Holding the first world championship in South America considerably reduced the number of entrants. 1985 Washington Post 9 June d3/5 He is undefeated in the last three World Championships, winning..a total of six gold medals, more than anyone in canoe slalom history. |