peloton

noun

pel·o·ton ˌpe-lə-ˈtän

ˈpe-lə-ˌtän

: the main body of riders in a bicycle race

Did you know?

If you've ever watched the Tour de France on television, you've seen the peloton, the brightly colored pack of riders making up the central group. You may have also gained some inadvertent insight into the word itself, which as you may have guessed is French in origin. In French, "peloton" literally means "ball," but it is most often used with the meaning "group." It's frequently used in the bicycling context, just as in English, but it can also refer to a group in a marathon or other sporting event. French peloton can also mean "squad" or "platoon," and since we’ve told you that you probably won’t be too surprised to learn that it is also the source of our word platoon.

Examples of peloton in a Sentence

He broke away from the peloton and sprinted into the lead.

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Sightings of large elephant herds, lions, and Cape buffalo—one of the most dangerous of all—are all possible and guides are trained to read both animal body language and tracks, always keeping the peloton at a safe viewing distance. —

Cindy Fan, TIME, 25 July 2024 Oftentimes the peloton will simply give up and allow the front group to contest the victory. —

Frederick Dreier, Outside Online, 28 Aug. 2024 Inside the final 40 kilometers (25 miles), Evenepoel broke away from a peloton that included top rivals like Mathieu van der Poel of the Netherlands. —

Rosanne Roobeek, CNN, 4 Aug. 2024 We were headed into Marin, a popular destination for San Francisco cyclists: on weekends, the roads are inundated with riders in sleek-looking pelotons, who roll up to small-town main drags and, rocking lightly in clipless bike shoes, click-clack into bakeries for halftime refreshments. —

Anna Wiener, The New Yorker, 16 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for peloton