athlete
- 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.
Origin of athlete
Pronunciation note
Related Words for athlete
competitor, player, animal, professional, contestant, sport, jock, jockey, amateur, contender, challenger, gorilla, sportspersonExamples from the Web for athlete
Contemporary Examples of athlete
Nowhere to be found is the anguish, the drama, the pain of an athlete on that level who considering walking away.
But I think that the more important question is will I see a benefit as an athlete?
What if I were a kid who looked up to an athlete, and that athlete made me want to do better in my own life, and then he left?
Ryan Totka, a celebrity booking agent and founder of sports marketing company Athlete Promotions, agrees.
When an athlete, of any race, thanks God after an impressive feat, nobody takes note.
Historical Examples of athlete
The athlete was not so far off that she needed to call very loud.
Weighed and WantingGeorge MacDonald
He liked to think that he was in the hands of Mark Snyder, as an athlete in the hands of his trainer.
A Great ManArnold Bennett
A judge of men would have read him an athlete, perhaps in an unusual line.
The Flying MercuryEleanor M. Ingram
No athlete or any laborer could ever possibly get the muscles you have all over.
Masters of SpaceEdward Elmer Smith
The prince was an athlete, but the man holding him was at this moment made of iron.
The Lure of the MaskHarold MacGrath
athlete
- a person trained to compete in sports or exercises involving physical strength, speed, or endurance
- a person who has a natural aptitude for physical activities
- mainly British a competitor in track and field events
Word Origin for athlete
Word Origin and History for athlete
early 15c., from Latin athleta "a wrestler, athlete, combatant in public games," from Greek athletes "prizefighter, contestant in the games," agent noun from athlein "to contest for a prize," related to athlos "a contest" and athlon "a prize," of unknown origin. Before 1750, usually in Latin form. In this sense, Old English had plegmann "play-man." Athlete's foot first recorded 1928, for an ailment that has been around much longer.