Definition of "pageant" []

• An elaborate public dramatic presentation that usually depicts a historical or traditional event. (noun)
• A spectacular procession or celebration. (noun)
• Colorful showy display; pageantry or pomp. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Anyone who participates in a pageant is agreeing to be judged (have their value determined!) on appearance, that's a basis of the competition!"
• "I believe the anti-gay speech has something to do with her being fired but that doesnt mean that the pageant is at fault."
• "The women she chose to focus on are indeed interesting characters, and the pageant is a strange event in what is, as the father of one of the girls calls it, basically a third world country."