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
professional athletes
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
Deborah LawsonExamples 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
Hernandez's mother, Nereyda Hernandez, and other LGBTQ activists spoke in support of the trans athlete.
—Jackson Thompson Outkick, FOXNews.com, 31 May 2026
Aliso Niguel senior Jaslene Massey had the top marks in the girls shot put (51-3¾) and discus (175-6) and transgender athlete AB Hernandez from Jurupa Valley was the leading qualifier in the girls long jump (20-5½) and triple jump (41-8½) and was one of 13 qualifiers in the high jump.
—Steve Galluzzo, Los Angeles Times, 30 May 2026
The sprinting, swimming and weightlifting event that allows athletes to take performance-enhancing drugs held its inaugural event in Las Vegas, where organizers had hyped the competition as a PED-friendly Olympics with high drama, big purses and shattered records.
—Robert Abitbol, USA Today, 30 May 2026
Not everybody knew the history of arguably the greatest athlete to ever come out of Minnesota.
—Dane Mizutani, Twin Cities, 30 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for athlete
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Jackson Thompson Outkick, FOXNews.com, 31 May 2026
Aliso Niguel senior Jaslene Massey had the top marks in the girls shot put (51-3¾) and discus (175-6) and transgender athlete AB Hernandez from Jurupa Valley was the leading qualifier in the girls long jump (20-5½) and triple jump (41-8½) and was one of 13 qualifiers in the high jump.
—Steve Galluzzo, Los Angeles Times, 30 May 2026
The sprinting, swimming and weightlifting event that allows athletes to take performance-enhancing drugs held its inaugural event in Las Vegas, where organizers had hyped the competition as a PED-friendly Olympics with high drama, big purses and shattered records.
—Robert Abitbol, USA Today, 30 May 2026
Not everybody knew the history of arguably the greatest athlete to ever come out of Minnesota.
—Dane Mizutani, Twin Cities, 30 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for athlete
Cite this Entry
“Athlete.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/athlete. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids 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
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