Meaning & use
champion
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Meanings
verbtransitive
To speak or act publicly in support of a cause, idea, or person, especially one that needs a defender.
Grammar: Takes an object: champion the cause.
Patterns
- champion something
- champion the rights of someone
The senator has long championed the rights of farmers.
She championed a plan to open the park to everyone.
Teachers who champion reading can change a child's life.
nouncountablesport
A person or team that has won a competition, especially the main title in a sport.
Grammar: Often followed by a competition: the world champion; the champion of the league.
Patterns
- champion of something
- the defending champion
She became the national chess champion at fifteen.
The defending champion lost in the first round.
Brazil are the reigning world champions.
nouncountable
Someone who publicly supports and defends a cause or other people.
Grammar: Takes of: a champion of free speech.
Patterns
- a champion of something
He was a champion of workers' rights all his life.
The mayor is a tireless champion of public transport.
Poets have been champions of the underdog for centuries.
Word forms
| third person singular | champions |
|---|---|
| past tense | championed |
| past participle | championed |
| -ing form | championing |
| plural | champions |
Common combinations
- champion a cause
- Many celebrities champion a cause they care about.
- champion the rights of
- The group champions the rights of tenants.
- world champion
- The world champion signed autographs after the race.
- defending champion
- The defending champion kept her title.
- undisputed champion
- He remained the undisputed champion for a decade.
- champion of the poor
- She was a lifelong champion of the poor.
Synonyms and how they differ
- advocate
- Advocate as a verb is more formal and suggests argument or recommendation rather than energetic public backing.
- back
- Back is informal and can mean quiet support, but champion implies public, active effort.
- defend
- Defend implies protecting against attack, whereas champion also covers promoting a new idea.
- winner
- Winner can describe one contest, while champion usually describes the holder of a title.
Opposites
Word family
- championship noun
- a competition to decide a champion
- championed verb
- past form of the verb
- co-champion noun
- one of two winners who share a title
Commonly confused: champion or champ?
champion vs champ
Champ is an informal short form of champion, used for a winner or as friendly address.
Practice
The mayor has ______ the new bike lanes since the day she took office.
Choose one answer.
Championed means publicly supported with energy. Challenged would mean the opposite, and chaired refers to leading a meeting.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “champion”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.