athlete

American  

[ath-leet] / ˈæθ lit /

noun

1. a person trained or gifted in exercises or contests involving physical agility, stamina, or strength; a participant in a sport, exercise, or game requiring physical skill.

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athlete British  

/ ˈæθliːt /

noun

1. a person trained to compete in sports or exercises involving physical strength, speed, or endurance

2. a person who has a natural aptitude for physical activities

3. a competitor in track and field events

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Pronunciation

Athlete, athletic, and athletics, normally pronounced , , and , are heard frequently with an epenthetic schwa, an intrusive unstressed vowel inserted between the first and second syllables: , , and . The pronunciations containing the extra syllable are usually considered nonstandard, in spite of their widespread use on radio and television. Pronunciations with similarly intrusive vowels are also heard, though with less currency, for other words, as for film, for elm, and for arthritis, rather than the standard , , and .

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonathlete
  noun
• superathlete
  noun

Etymology

Origin of athlete

1520–30; < Latin āthlēta < Greek āthlētḗs, equivalent to āthlē- (variant stem of āthleîn to contend for a prize, derivative of âthlos a contest) + -tēs suffix of agency

Explanation

An athlete is someone who trains for and competes in sporting events, as a professional or just for fun, like an athlete who bowls on a team, runs in local 5K races, or wins a gold medal at the Olympics. The noun athlete comes from the Greek word athletes, meaning “contestant in the games.” Anyone who competes in sporting competitions can be called an athlete, but usually the term is reserved for people with a high level of dedication, skill and fitness. If your income comes from participating in your sport, you are a professional athlete.

Example Sentences

That makes him, by some distance, the highest paid athlete in the world.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026

He’s headed to USC, and what a student athlete he will become.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 3, 2026

A high-school athlete, she had ups and downs with body image and food after having two children, and buying new clothes for herself wasn’t a favorite exercise.

From Salon • Jun. 3, 2026

A judge at the Old Bailey has fined UK Athletics £350,000 with £44,000 in costs after hearing how a paralympic athlete died when equipment fell on him at a training ground in east London.

From BBC • Jun. 2, 2026

He managed, as he'd always done, to be both easygoing and deeply focused, maintaining scads of friends and good grades while also turning heads as an athlete.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

Related Words

• animal
• competitor
• contestant
• jock
• player
• professional
• sport