- a player or team taking part in a semifinal
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
sem•i•fi•nal•ist
(sem′ē fīn′l ist, sem′ī-),USA pronunciation n. [Sports.]
- Sporta participant or one qualified to participate in a semifinal.
- semifinal + -ist, on the model of finalist 1920–25
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
semifinalist /ˌsɛmɪˈfaɪnəlɪst/ n
sem•i•fi•nal /ˌsɛmiˈfaɪnəl, ˌsɛmaɪ-/USA pronunciation adj.
n. [countable]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- being the next to last round in a tournament.
n. [countable]
- a semifinal round.
sem•i•fi•nal
(sem′ē fīn′l, sem′ī-),USA pronunciation [Sports.]
adj.
n.
adj.
- of or pertaining to the round preceding the final one in a tournament from which losers are eliminated.
- (in boxing) of or pertaining to the second most important bout on a card, usually immediately preceding the main bout.
n.
- a semifinal contest or round.
- (in boxing) the second most important bout on a card.
- semi- + final 1880–85