Paralympics

plural noun

Para·​lym·​pics ˌper-ə-ˈlim-piks 

ˌpa-rə-

: a series of international contests for athletes with disabilities that are associated with and held following the summer and winter Olympic Games

called also Paralympic Games

Paralympian

ˌper-ə-ˈlim-pē-ən 

ˌpa-rə-

noun

Paralympic

ˌper-ə-ˈlim-pik 

ˌpa-rə-

adjective

Examples of Paralympics in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

His final performance was at the closing ceremony for the 2024 Paris Paralympics. —Marina Watts, People.com, 7 Apr. 2025

Turek, who is promoting the Iowa bill, uses a wheelchair and earned two gold medals as a member of the U.S. Paralympics basketball team. —Tony Leys, CBS News, 25 Mar. 2025

The original 2020 Rising Phoenix documentary explored the inspirational stories of nine Paralympian athletes, and was followed by Rising Phoenix: Tokyo and Rising Phoenix: A New Revolution, shot in the lead-up to the Paris 2024 Paralympics. —Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 7 Mar. 2025

The Olympic Games and Paralympics currently allow transgender athletes to compete. —Reuters, NBC News, 6 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

para(plegic) + (O)lympics, later interpreted as para- entry 1 in sense "alongside of" + (O)lympics

First Known Use

1953, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for Paralympics

• olympics