semifinal

1 of 3

adjective

semi·​fi·​nal ˌse-mē-ˈfī-nᵊl 

ˌse-ˌmī-, 

-mi-

1

: being next to the last in an elimination tournament

2

: of or participating in a semifinal

semifinal

2 of 3

noun (1)

semi·​fi·​nal ˈse-mē-ˌfī-nᵊl 

ˈse-ˌmī-, 

-mi-

1

: a semifinal match

2

: a semifinal round

semifinalist

ˌse-mē-ˈfī-nᵊl-ist 

ˌse-ˌmī-, 

-mi-

noun

semifinalist

3 of 3

noun (2)

semi·​finalist "+ 

: any of the contestants who meet in the semifinal round or heat of an elimination contest

Examples of semifinal in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Jones, which has reached state semifinal games in six of the past seven seasons, needs to handle a Lake Wales team that took DeLand to the wire in the season opener, losing 35-34. — Chris Hays, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Oct. 2026

The club looks to go up 2-0 on Wednesday night at home against the defending champion Las Vegas Aces in its semifinal series. — Kurt Badenhausen, Sportico.com, 7 Oct. 2026

Noun

The Liberty move on to the semifinals to play Atlanta in a best-of-five series. — Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 2 Oct. 2026

For the first time since 2018, the Atlanta Dream have advanced to the WNBA semifinals, defeating the Washington Mystics 93-75 in Game 2 on Wednesday. — Micahya Costen, AJC.com, 2 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun (2)

semifinal + -ist

First Known Use

Adjective

1884, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (1)

1895, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for semifinal

• anticlinal
• entorhinal
• isoclinal
• polyvinyl
• transvaginal
• affinal
• anginal
• synclinal
• vaginal
• final
• pinal
• spinal

Kids Definition

semifinal

1 of 2 adjective

semi·​fi·​nal ˌsem-i-ˈfīn-ᵊl 

1

: coming before the final round in a tournament

2

: of or taking part in a semifinal

semifinal

2 of 2 noun

semi·​fi·​nal ˈsem-i-ˌfīn-ᵊl 

: a semifinal match or game

semifinalist

ˌsem-i-ˈfīn-ᵊl-əst 

noun