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
Reserved seats for the indoor celebration are $30 for the upper bowl and $75 for the lower bowl, with all proceeds going to the Champions Circle, which benefits Michigan's student-athletes.
—Paula Wethington, CBS News, 11 Apr. 2026
See our top athletes from the prep schools 2025-26 season, and print your own copy of the PDF below.
—Boston Herald Staff, Boston Herald, 10 Apr. 2026
Most of the candidates’ pledges, such as tackling unaffordability, reducing gas prices, increasing capacity in state prisons, protecting gun owners’ rights and keeping trans athletes out of girls’ locker rooms, are nearly identical.
—Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2026
Milton and teammate Mecca Crawford, the Star-Telegram’s Defensive Player of the Year, were the only Fort Worth-area athletes in Class 6A to make the All-State Team.
—Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for athlete
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Paula Wethington, CBS News, 11 Apr. 2026
See our top athletes from the prep schools 2025-26 season, and print your own copy of the PDF below.
—Boston Herald Staff, Boston Herald, 10 Apr. 2026
Most of the candidates’ pledges, such as tackling unaffordability, reducing gas prices, increasing capacity in state prisons, protecting gun owners’ rights and keeping trans athletes out of girls’ locker rooms, are nearly identical.
—Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2026
Milton and teammate Mecca Crawford, the Star-Telegram’s Defensive Player of the Year, were the only Fort Worth-area athletes in Class 6A to make the All-State Team.
—Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 Apr. 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 11 Apr. 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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