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

Perri, 37, was used to working with athletes. —Rustin Dodd, New York Times, 23 Oct. 2025

The loss, presumably, marked the end of trans athlete AB Hernandez's high school volleyball career. —Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2025

Its expanding partnership with distributor PepsiCo (similar to the deal between Monster and Coca-Cola), and its sponsorships of festivals, sporting events, and athletes is also helping establish its presence among consumers. —Charlotte Hu, Time, 23 Oct. 2025

Medical experts say that REDs can damage an athlete’s metabolism, their immune system, their cardiovascular health, their menstrual cycle, and their mental health, as well as their athletic performance. —George Ramsay, CNN Money, 23 Oct. 2025

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

Rhymes for athlete

• amit
• backseat
• blackfeet
• broadsheet
• browbeat
• buckwheat
• compete
• compleat
• complete
• conceit
• concrete
• crabmeat

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