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

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 on the Web

Petrosian, 18, skating as a neutral athlete because Russia remains banned for its invasion of Ukraine, was competing in only her second international competition outside her home country. —Bora Erden, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2026

At the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympic Games on Thursday, figure skater Alysa Liu made history as the first Team USA athlete to win gold in the Women’s Single Skating event since the 2002 Winter Games. —Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 20 Feb. 2026

Most athletes that age are just getting started. —Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 20 Feb. 2026

The victims were squarely within that community of serious mountain athletes. —Ariane Lange, Sacbee.com, 20 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin athleta, from Greek athlētēs, from athlein to contend for a prize, from athlon prize, contest

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing athlete

• athlete's foot

Rhymes for athlete

• amit
• backseat
• blackfeet
• broadsheet
• browbeat
• buckwheat
• compete
• compleat
• complete
• conceit
• concrete
• crabmeat

Kids 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