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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 How to pronounce Olympic Games (audio) , ō-​ \

Examples of Olympic Games in a Sentence

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.
Kim, 25, won Olympic gold in the halfpipe in the 2018 PyeongChang Olympic Games. Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 26 Nov. 2025 Wilson began competing nationally in 2022, winning his fifth AAU Junior Olympic Games title and coming in second place in the 200-meter final. Jt Moodee Lockman, CBS News, 25 Nov. 2025 Well, the team has a track record of designing impeccable collaborations with some of the world’s biggest fashion houses and this winter’s Olympic Games are being held in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, right in the team’s backyard. Will Porter, Outside, 15 Nov. 2025 In 2024, the former Olympian was a correspondent for NBC during the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. Kate Hogan, PEOPLE, 11 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for Olympic Games

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1586, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of Olympic Games was circa 1586

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Cite this Entry

“Olympic Games.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Olympic%20Games. Accessed 29 Nov. 2025.

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

More from Merriam-Webster on Olympic Games

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