Paralympics
Americanplural noun
plural noun
Usage
What are the Paralympics? The Paralympics, formally called the Paralympic Games, are an international athletic competition featuring multiple sporting events between athletes with a range of bodily differences and disabilities. The event is modeled after the Olympic Games, featuring the world’s top athletes in their sports, with the top three finishers in each event being awarded medals: gold for first place, silver for second place, and bronze for third place. Like the Olympics, there are Winter and Summer versions of the Paralympics, and they are usually held after the corresponding Olympic event in the same city. The Winter Paralympics feature winter sports, including skiing, snowboarding, ice hockey, and many others. The Summer Paralympics feature traditionally warm weather and indoor sports, like track and field, swimming, and wheelchair basketball, among many others. Eligibility for and competition in the Paralympics is based on categories that involve bodily differences and different types of disabilities, including those related to muscle power and movement, range of movement, limb differences, visual impairment, and intellectual disabilities. Athletes who compete in the Paralympics can be called Paralympians.
Etymology
Origin of Paralympics
C20: parallel + Olympics
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.
At half-time in their first match at the 2000 Paralympics the coach of Spain's intellectual disability basketball team told them to stop scoring so quickly and let their opponents shoot more.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
The home has been in the Frech family for years, providing a longtime home base for the athlete as he went from a sports-loving child to one of the world’s most accomplished Paralympics.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 8, 2026
Although many fans have their hearts set on a single, high-demand Olympic event, others might be open to discovering different sports during the Paralympics.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
Fans who registered for Olympics tickets will already be registered for the Paralympic lotteries and LA28 is working to open registration specifically for the Paralympics.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
Mark Williams went on to become a world champion swimmer and won a silver medal at the 1988 Seoul Paralympics before setting up his own company.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
