athlete

noun ath·lete \ ˈath-ˌlēt , nonstandard ˈa-thə-ˌlēt \

Updated on: 21 Apr 2018

Definition of athlete

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 a 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

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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 of athlete from the Web

Nassar, 54, the MSU doctor accused of molesting dozens of female students and athletes, has been sentenced to 60 years in federal prison on child pornography charges and is in custody.

— david jesse, Detroit Free Press, "Top Engler aide apologizes for e-mail attacking Nassar survivors," 18 Apr. 2018
However, earlier this year, South Korea made some breakthroughs with its warring neighbor after a series of meetings and discussions that resulted in North Korea sending athletes to compete in the Winter Olympics in South Korea.

— NBC News, "Trump says 'a good relationship' formed at Pompeo-Kim Jong Un meeting," 18 Apr. 2018
Over the next two weeks, Rene Ferran will be introducing us to many of the state's top high school track and field athletes.

— OregonLive.com, "Oregon high school track and field: Meet the state's top throwers," 18 Apr. 2018
In the small town of Mayville, high school athletes like Schellpfeffer are very recognizable.

— kenny levine, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Mayville’s Jacob Schellpfeffer making an impact on young athletes," 18 Apr. 2018
Sellers, a Utah-native and former athlete at Weber State University, ran in her second marathon Monday.

— CBS News, "Sarah Sellers, full-time nurse, finishes second in Boston marathon," 18 Apr. 2018
In total, Ritter scored more points for her team at the state meet (26) than any other county athlete.

— kyle stackpole, Howard County Times, "Mt. Hebron's Jaiden Ritter tracks down Howard County girls indoor Athlete of the Year," 18 Apr. 2018
Because of the way big-name athletes are perceived, Leonard will catch some hell for violating the public’s view of him as utterly without self-interest—and for refusing to uphold his ascetic commitment to sport and sport alone.

— nathaniel friedman, GQ, "The Silence Around Kawhi Leonard Used to Be Comforting," 18 Apr. 2018
Rules for recruiting athletes Senate Bill 228 updates and tweaks state regulations dealing with agents who work with students competing in school sports, including at the collegiate level.

— morgan watkins, The Courier-Journal, "Gangs, tax fixes and budget changes: Bevin can still veto these bills - without being overridden," 17 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'athlete.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.