athlete

[ath-leet]

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.

athlete

/ 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

Pronunciation Note

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

• nonathlete noun
• superathlete noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of athlete¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of athlete¹

C18: from Latin via Greek athlētēs, from athlein to compete for a prize, from athlos a contest

Example Sentences

Mattel announced Monday that it had assembled a team of four international rugby athletes to help encourage girls to embrace their confidence and stay in sports.

From Los Angeles Times

UFC policy dictates that athletes must provide accurate whereabouts information at all times, so they can be contacted and submit to biological sample collections without warning.

From BBC

He's not just a winger; he's a symbol of a new generation of athletes who refuse to shrink themselves to fit into someone else's comfort.

From BBC

Two years later she has signed an contract extension at Jeddah-based Al-Ittihad and wants to challenge preconceived notions from the western world about Saudi Arabia and what life is like for a female athlete.

From BBC

Most viewers and listeners are not elite athletes, but many are seeking to eat and drink as if they were.

From BBC

Related Words

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