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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

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.

See Examples For:

heptathlon

Ireland's Kate O'Connor moved into pole position for heptathlon gold with one event remaining at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham, where Great Britain's Katarina Johnson-Thompson is out of medal contention.

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

O'Connor responded by running a dominant 24.14 seconds in the 200m to reclaim top spot of the heptathlon competition.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

Northern Ireland's Kate O'Connor said she was "gutted" with her throw of 12.85m in the heptathlon shot put.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

She won multiple gold medals from the Olympics and world championships in the heptathlon and long jump while also setting world records.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 27, 2026

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

From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2025

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