Meaning & use
championed
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“championed” is a form of “champion”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbtransitive
Past tense of champion: supported or defended a cause, idea or person publicly and with energy.
Grammar: Takes an object: she championed the plan.
Patterns
- champion a cause
- champion someone's rights
She championed the new library for years.
The senator championed a bill to protect rivers.
He championed his colleague's idea at the meeting.
verbtransitive
Past participle of champion, used with have or be.
Grammar: Used after have or be: the cause was championed by teachers.
Patterns
- be championed by someone
- have championed something
The reform was championed by local teachers.
The idea had been championed by the mayor since 2019.
They have championed fair pay since the start.
Word forms
| base form | champion |
|---|---|
| third person singular | champions |
| -ing form | championing |
Common combinations
- championed the cause
- He championed the cause of clean water.
- long championed
- The policy was long championed by activists.
- championed by
- The plan was championed by the principal.
- championed equality
- She championed equality in the workplace.
- championed reform
- They championed reform of the schools.
Synonyms and how they differ
- supported
- Supported is milder and does not suggest speaking up publicly.
- advocated
- Advocated stresses argument and recommendation; championed adds energy and loyalty.
- defended
- Defended suggests protecting against attack.
- backed
- Backed is informal and often suggests financial help.
Opposites
Word family
- champion noun
- a winner or strong supporter
- champion verb
- to support strongly
- championship noun
- a contest to decide the best
- championing noun
- the act of supporting a cause
Commonly confused: championed or champion (noun)?
championed vs champion (noun)
As a noun, champion means a winner. As a verb, it means to support.
Practice
She ___ the rights of young workers for most of her career.
Choose one answer.
Championed means defended and supported publicly. Opposed, ignored and forgot all describe the opposite.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “championed”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.