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

professional athletes

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

Russian athletes are routinely asked to answer for the actions of their government, yet athletes from other countries are rarely subjected to the same scrutiny or treated as though they are personally aligned with war criminals or dictators. —Jon Root Outkick, FOXNews.com, 7 June 2026

Today the designation of waterman or -woman is bestowed upon ocean connoisseurs who excel at paddling, free diving, surfing, and navigation, and big-wave athlete Kai Lenny is one of those carrying on this legacy. —Arati Menon, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 June 2026

And some pundits are asking if a shot at global glory could be on the cards for Kim’s athletes. —Andrew McNicol, CNN Money, 7 June 2026

There is a lot of tequila out there to choose from, and some brands—shockingly—don’t even have a celebrity, actor, or athlete backing them. —Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 6 June 2026

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