A championship is a competition to determine the best team or player in a sport or game. When two basketball teams face off in the championship game, they're competing to prove who's truly the best that season. The winner becomes the champion.

Championships mark the culmination of weeks, months, or even years of practice, strategy, and dedication. A chess player might compete in tournament after tournament, hoping to reach the world championship. A soccer team plays through an entire season, with only the top teams advancing to compete for the championship title.

The word can also refer to the title itself. When someone wins a championship, they earn the right to call themselves champion until someone else wins it. A tennis player might hold the championship for a year before defending it against new challengers. Athletes often say that winning a championship represents the peak of their careers because it means they proved themselves the best when it mattered most.

People also use championship to describe the highest level of play or effort. When your friend makes a championship-level catch in kickball, you're saying they played like a champion, even if no actual title was at stake.