semifinal
n. countablen. the game or match that comes just before the final. The winners of these two matches go on to play for the championship.
n. the penultimate round of a competition, consisting of two matches or heats. The victors of these contests advance to the final round to determine the overall winner.
Our team won the semifinal and is going to the final.
After a grueling semifinal that went into overtime, the underdog team finally secured their place in the championship match.
The tournament structure ensures that the top seeds avoid each other until the semifinal, maximizing the likelihood of a high-stakes showdown in the closing stages of the competition.
From Latin semifinalis, equivalent to semi- + final.
Often used in the plural ('the semifinals') to refer to the round as a whole.