athlete
Americannoun
noun
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a person trained to compete in sports or exercises involving physical strength, speed, or endurance
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a person who has a natural aptitude for physical activities
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a competitor in track and field events
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
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.
Vocabulary lists containing athlete
List 1
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A Soccer and a Football Special
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for August 28–September 3, 2021
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The company says it’s also supporting athletes with a new Athlete Center of Excellence run by financial professionals who understand the athlete experience, as well as financial education outreach at universities.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 2026
World Gymnastics said decisions regarding its Individual Neutral Athlete status are made "by an independent ad hoc committee, following background checks conducted by an external company".
From BBC • Feb. 4, 2026
“When you’ve collected everything, that’s Thanos,” Wilson said to Time, which named her the outlet’s Athlete of the Year on Tuesday.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 10, 2025
Stephenson is leading the search committee, with help from Rosenberg and his firm, The Athlete Group.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 10, 2025
A Google alert flagging my name in an article posted on the United States Olympic Committee website, titled “Fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad Qualifies for Olympics, Will Become First Athlete to Compete in a Hijab.”
From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
