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If you've ever watched the Tour de France on television, you've seen the peloton, the brightly colored pack of riders making up the central group. You may have also gained some inadvertent insight into the word itself, which as you may have guessed is French in origin. In French, "peloton" literally means "ball," but it is most often used with the meaning "group." It's frequently used in the bicycling context, just as in English, but it can also refer to a group in a marathon or other sporting event. French peloton can also mean "squad" or "platoon," and since we’ve told you that you probably won’t be too surprised to learn that it is also the source of our word platoon.
Examples of peloton in a Sentence
Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 28 Feb. 2026
Instead, the daring duo stretched their lead lap after lap as the group mentality in the peloton took over, everyone waiting for someone to make a move and then no one making a move.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 21 Feb. 2026
Today, he was proven right when the peloton in the men's mass start race continuously lagged behind the two leading speedskaters for nearly the entire race.
—Nbc News, NBC news, 21 Feb. 2026
Vine got up immediately after his crash and changed bikes twice before rejoining the peloton with around 92 kilometers remaining.
—CBS News, 26 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for peloton
Cite this Entry
“Peloton.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/peloton. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
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