heptathlon

noun

hep·​tath·​lon hep-ˈtath-lən  -ˌlän 

nonstandard -ˈta-thə-

: a 7-event athletic contest

specifically : a composite contest for female athletes that consists of the 100-meter hurdles, the high jump, the shot put, the 200-meter dash, the long jump, the javelin throw, and the 800-meter run

Examples of heptathlon in a Sentence

She won a gold medal in the heptathlon.

Recent Examples on the Web

The heptathlon is a seven-event test — consisting of the high jump, 110-meter hurdles, 200-meter dash, shot put, long jump, javelin throw and 800-meter run — conducted over two days. —Bill Center, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Apr. 2026

How other Longhorns did at the Texas Relays In other Relays news, UT sophomore Tabea Eitel, who was second in the heptathlon after Wednesday's competition, finished second Thursday. —Rick Cantu, Austin American Statesman, 3 Apr. 2026

Oregon’s Peyton Bair dominated the competition on Day 1 in the heptathlon with 3,675 points, only trailing collegiate record holder Kyle Garland’s pace from the 2023 indoor championships. —ABC News, 13 Mar. 2026

The Giants wide receiver and the heptathlon world champion first went public with their relationship in November 2024, when Hall included a photo of them hugging in an Instagram carousel. —Jordana Comiter, PEOPLE, 10 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

hept- + -athlon (as in decathlon)

First Known Use

1977, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

heptathlon

noun

hep·​tath·​lon

hep-ˈtath-lən, 

-ˌlän

: an athletic contest made up of seven different track-and-field events