athlete

noun

ath·​lete ˈath-ˌlēt 

nonstandard

ˈa-thə-ˌlēt 

1

: a person who is trained or skilled in exercises, sports, or games requiring physical strength, agility, or stamina

2

: an animal (such as a horse or a dog) that competes in races or other sporting events or has qualities (such as stamina and agility) suggestive of a human athlete

Hospice working dogs were wiry, muscular, agile, yellowish-tan or brown athletes with unexaggerated heads …

—Deborah Lawson

Examples of athlete in a Sentence

Athletes from around the world will be competing at the Olympics.

She was quite an athlete as a child.

Recent Examples on the Web

Walsh Jennings was at the very first induction ceremony back in 1995, too, when she was honored as the girls high school athlete of the year for leading Archbishop Mitty’s volleyball and basketball teams to state titles. —Sal Pizarro, The Mercury News, 14 Nov. 2024

In another segment of the video captured by a different attendee, the initial heckler can be heard pleading for his phone after the athlete snatched it and threw it on the ground. —Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 5 Nov. 2024

One individual provoked the athlete with an offensive and homophobic comment regarding his brother, Travis Kelce, and Travis's girlfriend, Taylor Swift. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024

The company’s newest TVs use an in-house artificial intelligence chip to improve image rendering, Fang said, noting plans to increase the use of AI for improving audio quality, or providing athlete stats via voice command. —Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 5 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin athleta, from Greek athlētēs, from athlein to contend for a prize, from athlon prize, contest

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing athlete

• athlete's foot

Kids Definition

athlete

noun

ath·​lete ˈath-ˌlēt 

: a person who is trained in or good at games and exercises that require physical skill, endurance, and strength