Olympic Games

plural noun

1

: an ancient Panhellenic festival held every fourth year and made up of contests of sports, music, and literature with the victor's prize a crown of wild olive

2

: a modified revival of the ancient Olympic Games consisting of international athletic contests that are held at separate winter and summer gatherings at four year intervals

called also Olym*pics\ ə-​ˈlim-​piks , ō-​ \

Examples of Olympic Games in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

After the Winter Olympic Games, these systems and applications pivoted to support the Paralympics, enabling the largest showcase of winter Para sport, surpassing the previous record set at PyeongChang 2018. —Mark Price, Forbes.com, 19 June 2026

The inflatable figures were first introduced to American audiences during the opening ceremonies of the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. —Brian Unger, CBS News, 18 June 2026

They were also involved in an investigation in 2022, carried out with prosecutors, of major advertising company Dentsu, as part of a widespread investigation into corruption related to the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. —ABC News, 17 June 2026

Iraq took fourth at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, defeating a Portugal team that featured a teenage Cristiano Ronaldo in group play. —Julian Cardillo, Boston Herald, 15 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1586, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for Olympic Games

• aims
• blames
• claims
• dames
• fames
• flames
• frames
• hames
• kames
• lames
• names
• shames

Kids Definition

Olympic Games

plural noun

1

: an ancient Greek festival held every fourth year and made up of contests in sports, music, and literature

2

: a series of international athletic contests held in a different country during the summer and the winter once every four years