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
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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
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Recent Examples of pageants
Now in its 79th year, the festival features crab races—including the Governor’s Cup—cooking contests, live music, parades, pageants, running events, and boat docking competitions.
—
Travel + Leisure Editors, Travel + Leisure, 19 May 2026
Beauty pageants are added because +40 female adds to their mandates.
—Joe Kinsey Outkick, FOXNews.com, 16 May 2026
Sara also noted to SWNS that pageants have boosted her daughter's self-esteem through the years.
—Lexi Lane, PEOPLE, 2 May 2026
The nearly 100-year-old tradition is celebrated with pageants at schools and other festivities.
—Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 1 May 2026
Founded in the Bay Area in 1965, the organization hosts drag pageants to raise funds for the LGBTQ+ community, namely to help those contending with HIV/AIDS and homelessness.
—Nicole MacIas Garibay, Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2026
These 34 comedies streaming across the internet satirize global issues like nuclear war, cultural trends like beauty pageants, and leave no stone unturned in their quest to make life's toughest stuff more emotionally palatable.
—Debby Wolfinsohn, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Apr. 2026
Loren got her start in beauty pageants as a young girl before turning to acting in the 1950s.
—Juliana Ukiomogbe, Architectural Digest, 3 Apr. 2026
Meanwhile, closer to home, at the Glock Horse Performance Center in Austria, Kathrin put together a series of lavish Horses & Stars pageants.
—Simon Akam, Vanity Fair, 2 Apr. 2026
Travel + Leisure Editors, Travel + Leisure, 19 May 2026
Beauty pageants are added because +40 female adds to their mandates.
—Joe Kinsey Outkick, FOXNews.com, 16 May 2026
Sara also noted to SWNS that pageants have boosted her daughter's self-esteem through the years.
—Lexi Lane, PEOPLE, 2 May 2026
The nearly 100-year-old tradition is celebrated with pageants at schools and other festivities.
—Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 1 May 2026
Founded in the Bay Area in 1965, the organization hosts drag pageants to raise funds for the LGBTQ+ community, namely to help those contending with HIV/AIDS and homelessness.
—Nicole MacIas Garibay, Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2026
These 34 comedies streaming across the internet satirize global issues like nuclear war, cultural trends like beauty pageants, and leave no stone unturned in their quest to make life's toughest stuff more emotionally palatable.
—Debby Wolfinsohn, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Apr. 2026
Loren got her start in beauty pageants as a young girl before turning to acting in the 1950s.
—Juliana Ukiomogbe, Architectural Digest, 3 Apr. 2026
Meanwhile, closer to home, at the Glock Horse Performance Center in Austria, Kathrin put together a series of lavish Horses & Stars pageants.
—Simon Akam, Vanity Fair, 2 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pageants
Noun
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For a long time, Juneteenth existed as a distinctly Black American holiday — carried through family cookouts, church gatherings, parades, music, red drinks, and community tradition long before it became federally recognized.—
Shelby Stewart,
Essence,
14 May 2026
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Below, find a roundup of ceremonies, parades and volunteer efforts taking place throughout Broward and Palm Beach counties.—
Kari Barnett,
Sun Sentinel,
14 May 2026
Noun
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But the real question during the Venice Biennale, in between exhibits and galleries, is always the same.—
Jenn Rice,
Vogue,
20 May 2026
-
More than 1 million square feet of space will be used for exhibits, events, gaming, panels, cosplay showcases, movie screenings, raves and afterparties.—
Irene Wright,
USA Today,
20 May 2026
Noun
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Beau Bottles easy-to-use decorative bottle wraps transform champagne, prosecco and wine bottles into beautiful gift-ready presentations in under 60 seconds – just slip on and apply heat with a hair dryer.—
Tory Johnson,
ABC News,
18 May 2026
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TruTV will continue to have Rally coverage before and after the McEnroes’ stints, while TNT handles marquee match presentations.—
Jacob Feldman,
Sportico.com,
18 May 2026
Noun
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Auction houses have increasingly blurred the line between commercial and institutional space over the past decade, mounting scholarly exhibitions, publishing museum-quality catalogs, and courting curatorial prestige.—
Daniel Cassady,
ARTnews.com,
19 May 2026
-
Right now, the most likely uses seem to be entertainment, exhibitions, research, security demos or specialized industrial testing.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
19 May 2026
Noun
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As the missions continue — with Curiosity climbing higher along Mount Sharp and Perseverance scouting new terrain along Jezero's rim — more high-resolution panoramas are expected.—
Samantha Mathewson,
Space.com,
1 May 2026
-
To showcase the distinct regions each rover is exploring, NASA recently shared dueling panoramas composed from hundreds of photos taken between the end of 2025 and the beginning of 2026.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
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During the Great Migration in Tanzania’s famous Serengeti, wildebeest attempt a river crossing in one of nature’s most dramatic spectacles, but just a few dozen feet away, a bona fide traffic jam of safari vehicles crowds the riverbanks like paparazzi at a premiere.—
Nicole Trilivas,
Travel + Leisure,
17 May 2026
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But as production costs rose and financing grew more risk-averse, those ambitious historical spectacles gradually disappeared from the big screen, replaced by smaller auteur dramas, comedies and internationally portable genre films.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
13 May 2026
Noun
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Production’s involvement in paying for cast extravaganzas is something Monique brought up in a confessional interview during season 10.—
McKinley Franklin,
HollywoodReporter,
1 Mar. 2026
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Every year, these flashy performances — from classic movie-musical extravaganzas to Disney earworms to Bond themes to power ballads — are the highlight of an already ridiculously flashy ceremony.—
Rebecca Alter,
Vulture,
31 Jan. 2026
Noun
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In a family where hugs and other displays of physical affection were common, Djena was hardly ever touched, unless she was being disciplined.—
Yudhijit Bhattacharjee,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
-
Trump was notably out of character throughout his stay here, deferential to his host, marveling at displays of Chinese power and reticent to speak with the press.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
17 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pageants.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pageants. Accessed 23 May. 2026.
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