semifinal

/sɛmiˈfaɪnəl/

/sɛmiˈfaɪnəl/

Other forms: semifinals

In sports, a semifinal is the next-to the last game (or series of games) in a big tournament. In a semifinal, four teams or players compete against each other for a spot in the final round.

Professional sports like hockey, soccer, and basketball — as well as competitive activities including poker and debate — have a series of elimination rounds before a winner is declared. The very last of those playoff games is the semifinal, a word that was coined in the 1860s from the Latin semi, "half," and final, whose Latin root means "end." The round before the semifinal, in which eight teams play, is called a quarterfinal.

Definitions of semifinal

1. noun

   one of the two competitions in the next to the last round of an elimination tournament
   synonyms: semi

   type of:

   match

   a formal contest in which two or more persons or teams compete