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heptathlon

American

[hep-tath-luhn, ‑lon] / hɛpˈtæθ lən, ‑lɒn /

noun

an athletic contest for women comprising seven different track-and-field events and won by the contestant amassing the highest total score.

heptathlon British

/ hɛpˈtæθlɒn /

noun

an athletic contest for women in which each athlete competes in seven different events

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

heptathlete

noun

Etymology

Origin of heptathlon

First recorded in 1985–90; hept- ( def. ) + (dec)athlon

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.

Katarina Johnson-Thompson shared bronze in a dramatic heptathlon finale on Saturday.

From BBC • Sep. 21, 2025

Katarina Johnson-Thompson continued her heptathlon preparation by competing in the javelin and shot put on day two, having contested the 100m hurdles on Saturday.

From BBC • Aug. 3, 2025

Among those granted honours were TV gardener Alan Titchmarsh, who was appointed CBE, and reigning world heptathlon champion Katarina Johnson-Thompson, who became an MBE.

From BBC • Apr. 1, 2025

It was Dickenson's voice that accompanied Jessica Ennis-Hill's heptathlon gold at London 2012, while his last BBC commentary was when Lizzy Yarnold won her skeleton gold at Sochi 2014.

From BBC • Nov. 27, 2024

Thiam became the youngest Olympic heptathlon gold medallist in history with her first triumph aged 21 and has now won 10 of the 11 international titles she has contested since that breakout triumph.

From BBC • Aug. 9, 2024

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023