CHAMPION

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does champion mean? 

• CHAMPION (noun)
  The noun CHAMPION has 4 senses:

1. someone who has won first place in a competition

2. someone who fights for a cause

3. a person who backs a politician or a team etc.

4. someone who is dazzlingly skilled in any field

  Familiarity information: CHAMPION used as a noun is uncommon.

• CHAMPION (adjective)
  The adjective CHAMPION has 1 sense:

1. holding first place in a contest

  Familiarity information: CHAMPION used as an adjective is very rare.

• CHAMPION (verb)
  The verb CHAMPION has 1 sense:

1. protect or fight for as a champion

  Familiarity information: CHAMPION used as a verb is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• CHAMPION (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Someone who has won first place in a competition

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

champ; champion; title-holder

Hypernyms ("champion" is a kind of...):

challenger; competition; competitor; contender; rival (the contestant you hope to defeat)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "champion"):

record-breaker; record-holder (someone who breaks a record)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Someone who fights for a cause

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

champion; fighter; hero; paladin

Hypernyms ("champion" is a kind of...):

defender; guardian; protector; shielder (a person who cares for persons or property)

Derivation:

champion (protect or fight for as a champion)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A person who backs a politician or a team etc.

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

admirer; booster; champion; friend; protagonist; supporter

Context example:

they are friends of the library

Hypernyms ("champion" is a kind of...):

advocate; advocator; exponent; proponent (a person who pleads for a cause or propounds an idea)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "champion"):

Whig (a supporter of the American Revolution)

verifier; voucher (someone who vouches for another or for the correctness of a statement)

maintainer; sustainer; upholder (someone who upholds or maintains)

toaster; wassailer (someone who proposes a toast; someone who drinks to the health of success of someone or some venture)

sympathiser; sympathizer; well-wisher (someone who shares your feelings or opinions and hopes that you will be successful)

endorser; indorser; ratifier; subscriber (someone who expresses strong approval)

Shavian (an admirer of G. B. Shaw or his works)

seconder (someone who endorses a motion or petition as a necessary preliminary to a discussion or vote)

Roundhead (a supporter of parliament and Oliver Cromwell during the English Civil War)

mainstay; pillar (a prominent supporter)

Graecophile; philhellene; philhellenist (an admirer of Greece and everything Greek)

New Dealer (a supporter of the economic policies in the United States known as the New Deal)

loyalist; stalwart (a person who is loyal to their allegiance (especially in times of revolt))

Jacobite (a supporter of James II after he was overthrown or a supporter of the Stuarts)

functionalist (an adherent of functionalism)

free trader (an advocate of unrestricted international trade)

Francophil; Francophile (an admirer of France and everything French)

enthusiast; partisan; partizan (an ardent and enthusiastic supporter of some person or activity)

corporatist (a supporter of corporatism)

Confederate (a supporter of the Confederate States of America)

cheerleader (an enthusiastic and vocal supporter)

Boswell (a devoted admirer and recorder of another's words and deeds)

believer; truster (a supporter who accepts something as true)

anglophil; anglophile (an admirer of England and things English)

Derivation:

champion (protect or fight for as a champion)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Someone who is dazzlingly skilled in any field

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

ace; adept; champion; genius; hotshot; maven; mavin; sensation; star; superstar; virtuoso; whiz; whizz; wiz; wizard

Hypernyms ("champion" is a kind of...):

expert (a person with special knowledge or ability who performs skillfully)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "champion"):

track star (a star runner)

• CHAMPION (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Holding first place in a contest

Synonyms:

champion; prizewinning

Context example:

a prizewinning wine

Similar:

best ((superlative of 'good') having the most positive qualities)

• CHAMPION (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they champion    ... he / she / it champions   
Past simple: championed   
Past participle: championed   
-ing form: championing   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Protect or fight for as a champion

Classified under:

Verbs of fighting, athletic activities

Synonyms:

champion; defend

Hypernyms (to "champion" is one way to...):

back; endorse; indorse; plump for; plunk for; support (be behind; approve of)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody

Derivation:

champion (someone who fights for a cause)

champion (a person who backs a politician or a team etc.)

 Context examples 

“What are my walls when set against the honor of Francois Poursuivant d'Amour Pelligny, champion of the Bishop of Montaubon. My horse, Andre!”

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Champion Harrison’s good-humoured face clouded over.

(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

"I don't see that at all, Mr. Renfield," said Mrs. Harker, at once championing me.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

Kosgei was the Chicago Marathon defending champion.

(Kenya's Brigid Kosgei sets new world record at Chicago Marathon, Wikinews)

Last year, Opportunity became the long-distance champion of all off-Earth vehicles when it topped the previous record set by the former Soviet Union's Lunokhod 2 moon rover.

(Opportunity Mars Rover Passes Marathon Distance, NASA)

Buck stood and looked on, the successful champion, the dominant primordial beast who had made his kill and found it good.

(The Call of the Wild, by Jack London)

The team included top runners and Olympic champions.

(Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya runs marathon under two hours, Wikinews)

“This is a fellow,” she said, “to champion and bring here, is he not? You are a true man!”

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

Something wonderful happened—or the man's a champion liar, which is the more probable supposeetion.

(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

He saw the two gangs, aggressive and sullen, rigidly keeping apart from each other and backing their respective champions; and he saw himself and Cheese-Face stripping.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)