VocabularyBasePractice words

Meaning & use

pennant

noun·Everyday

Last updated

UK/ˈpen.ənt/
US/ˈpen.ənt/

Meanings

  1. nouncountable

    A long narrow flag, usually triangular, flown on ships or hung as decoration or to show support for a team.

    Grammar: Used for small flags: a pennant on the mast.

    Patterns

    • a pennant on something

    A red pennant fluttered from the top of the mast.

    Fans waved blue pennants as the team ran onto the field.

    She hung a school pennant on her bedroom wall.

  2. nouncountableAmericansport

    The championship of a baseball league, or the flag awarded for winning it.

    Grammar: Mainly American; used in sports news about baseball.

    Patterns

    • win the pennant

    The team finally won the pennant after thirty years.

    Two clubs are fighting for the pennant this September.

    He remembers when the city celebrated its first pennant.

  3. nouncountablemilitary

    A small triangular flag marking the position or identity of a vehicle, boat or military unit.

    Grammar: Often used in naval or military contexts.

    Patterns

    • a command pennant

    The admiral's pennant showed which ship was leading the fleet.

    A pennant on the car identified the visiting ambassador.

    The cavalry unit rode under a narrow yellow pennant.

Word forms

pluralpennants

Common combinations

win the pennant
The Dodgers hoped to win the pennant again.
a pennant race
The pennant race went to the final game.
fly a pennant
The boat flew a pennant from its mast.
a team pennant
He kept a faded team pennant above his desk.
wave a pennant
Children waved pennants along the parade route.

Synonyms and how they differ

banner
A banner is usually a larger, rectangular flag or sign, while a pennant is narrow and tapering.
streamer
A streamer is a long, thin strip of paper or cloth for decoration, lacking the flag-like meaning of a pennant.
flag
Flag is the general term, while pennant names a specific narrow, often triangular type.

Word family

pennon noun
a long narrow flag carried on a lance
pendant noun
a hanging ornament, often confused with pennant
pennants noun
plural of pennant

Commonly confused: pennant or pendant?

pennant vs pendant

A pendant is a piece of jewelry hanging from a chain, while a pennant is a flag.

Practice

Fans waved triangular ___ as their baseball team clinched the league title.

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “pennant”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Your sentence stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.

Explore more words