SportsAugust 17, 2026

pennant

PEN-uhnt

Definition

In baseball, the championship title of a league or the race between teams to finish the season in first place to qualify for the playoffs.

Etymology

Originates from the Middle French 'pennon', referring to a long, triangular flag or streamer. In sports, it came to represent the actual flag awarded to the league champion, and by extension, the race to win that championship.

In the news

The article mentions a prospect being introduced to the major leagues during the heat of a 'pennant race,' meaning he would be joining a team actively competing for a championship spot.

Tony Santillan (oblique) has successful rehab outing

Read the full article ↗

NBC Sports

Related words

Learn a word like this every day

Meet one new word every morning.

Newspoken pulls one carefully chosen word from the day’s news — with a clear definition, context, and light review that makes it stick. Get it on your phone.