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individual medley

American

noun

Swimming.

a race in which the total distance is either divided into three equal portions, in which each swimmer uses the backstroke for the first portion, the breaststroke for the second portion, and the freestyle for the third, or the total distance is divided into four equal portions, in which each swimmer uses the butterfly stroke for the first portion and then the other strokes used follow the same pattern as in the three-part medley.

Etymology

Origin of individual medley

First recorded in 1945–50

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.

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individual medley

The schoolgirl was named a Games MVP on Sunday to cap an extraordinary showing that saw her scorch to gold in the 200m butterfly and do the 200m-400m individual medley double.

From Barron's ● Oct. 4, 2026

GB's Amalie Smith picked up a silver medal in the 400m individual medley final, finishing 0.7secs behind Ireland's Ellen Walshe, with Poland's Justina Kozan claiming bronze.

From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026

Marchand, now training in Austin with former Michael Phelps coach Bob Bowman, added the victory to the 200m and 400m individual medley titles he captured earlier this week.

From Barron's ● Jan. 18, 2026

In Monday's individual medley final, Yu missed out on a medal by 0.06 seconds with another fourth-placed finish.

From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2025

McIntosh won the 200-meter individual medley in 2 minutes, 5.7 seconds.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 10, 2025

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