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

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

Originally designed for athletes, the staple style is as comfortable and easy to wear as it is polished — and Julianne Moore just showed us the simplest way to dress up a classic black sweater for dinners, work, or events this season. —Nicol Natale, PEOPLE, 31 Oct. 2025

This mountain town of about 60,000 inhabitants was called home by a group of six athletes who would eventually become ski superstars in the 1950s. —Chadner Navarro, Vogue, 30 Oct. 2025

The athletes are very well taken care of now. —Andrew Ravens‎, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2025

Avildsen most recently wrote and directed Queen of the Ring, which told the true story of Mildred Burke, the first female athlete to earn a million-dollar purse in professional wrestling. —Matt Grobar, Deadline, 30 Oct. 2025

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