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 , ō-​ \

Examples of Olympic Games in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The company performed for 13,000 people in Millennium Park with Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Ensemble, was selected as the first dance company to ever appear at New York’s World Music Institute and danced at the 2002 Olympic Games in Salt Lake City. —Lauren Warnecke, Chicago Tribune, 13 Mar. 2026

Hot off the heels of the Milan Cortina Olympic Games and with the Paralympic Games underway, EssilorLuxottica has had a major presence throughout the world of winter sports. —Fairchild Studio, Footwear News, 12 Mar. 2026

Ancient Greeks wagered on the (occasionally rigged) early Olympic Games; Romans bet on chariot races and gladiatorial contests (also sometimes rigged). —Mckay Coppins, The Atlantic, 12 Mar. 2026

Liu won the 2025 World title last March, less than a year after returning to the sport after retiring days after the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing. —Scott M. Reid, Oc Register, 11 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1586, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for Olympic Games

• aims
• blames
• claims
• dames
• fames
• flames
• frames
• hames
• kames
• lames
• names
• shames

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