athletic
adjective
ath·let·ic
ath-ˈle-tik 
nonstandard
ˌa-thə-ˈle-
2
3
: used by athletes
athletic shoes/equipment
the school's athletic fields
4
Examples of athletic in a Sentence
They each received an athletic scholarship to the school.
Students can get discount tickets for all athletic events.
His athletic career spanned three decades.
She has great athletic ability.
She's tall and has an athletic build.
Recent Examples on the Web
With so much support, these kicks are among the best pairs on the market for their comfort — so much so that they were awarded the American Podiatric Medical Association Seal of Approval in the athletic footwear category.
—
Alexandra Domrongchai, Travel + Leisure, 24 Apr. 2024
The university began to push behind the scenes, spurred by new leadership in the athletic department.
—Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 24 Apr. 2024
Someone entered an open business and grabbed men’s athletic wear worth about $300 prior to fleeing via an emergency exit.
—Anne Gelhaus, The Mercury News, 23 Apr. 2024
That design—marked by athletic lines, a bubble cockpit, and butterfly doors—still feels fresh more than three decades later and traces of it can still be seen across the McLaren lineup.
—Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 23 Apr. 2024
Nike’s transition appears to be underway, which may be in part due to competition from other brands, such as On, Hoka, and Lululemon, which have chipped away at the company’s market share, forcing the athletic apparel giant to once again focus on its diehard and daily runners.
—Francisco Velasquez, Quartz, 22 Apr. 2024
As of Monday morning, Arizona State had not yet made Howard’s hiring official on its athletic department website.
—Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 22 Apr. 2024
Story continues below advertisement The gunmen, wearing baseball hats and athletic gear, milled around the studio, shouting and waving their guns.
—Samantha Schmidt, Washington Post, 12 Apr. 2024
Throughout his athletic career, Simpson had dabbled in acting and soon became a commercial pitchman at a time African American athletes rarely if ever got endorsement or merchandise deals.
—Dakin Andone, CNN, 11 Apr. 2024
Alexandra Domrongchai, Travel + Leisure, 24 Apr. 2024
The university began to push behind the scenes, spurred by new leadership in the athletic department.
—Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 24 Apr. 2024
Someone entered an open business and grabbed men’s athletic wear worth about $300 prior to fleeing via an emergency exit.
—Anne Gelhaus, The Mercury News, 23 Apr. 2024
That design—marked by athletic lines, a bubble cockpit, and butterfly doors—still feels fresh more than three decades later and traces of it can still be seen across the McLaren lineup.
—Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 23 Apr. 2024
Nike’s transition appears to be underway, which may be in part due to competition from other brands, such as On, Hoka, and Lululemon, which have chipped away at the company’s market share, forcing the athletic apparel giant to once again focus on its diehard and daily runners.
—Francisco Velasquez, Quartz, 22 Apr. 2024
As of Monday morning, Arizona State had not yet made Howard’s hiring official on its athletic department website.
—Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 22 Apr. 2024
Story continues below advertisement The gunmen, wearing baseball hats and athletic gear, milled around the studio, shouting and waving their guns.
—Samantha Schmidt, Washington Post, 12 Apr. 2024
Throughout his athletic career, Simpson had dabbled in acting and soon became a commercial pitchman at a time African American athletes rarely if ever got endorsement or merchandise deals.
—Dakin Andone, CNN, 11 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'athletic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near athletic
Cite this Entry
“Athletic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/athletic. Accessed 27 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
athletic
adjective
ath·let·ic
ath-ˈlet-ik
1
: of, relating to, or characteristic of athletes or athletics
2
3
Medical Definition
athletic
adjective
ath·let·ic
ath-ˈlet-ik
: characterized by heavy frame, large chest, and powerful muscular development : mesomorphic
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