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.

Yu, who turned 13 in October, swam an impressive 2:07:41 to claim gold in the women's 200 metre individual medley on Tuesday.

From Barron's • Nov. 12, 2025

He opted out of the 100m individual medley on Friday and went for the 400m freestyle.

From Barron's • Oct. 11, 2025

Guo Jincheng of China competes in the men's 200m individual medley SM5 final at the World Para Swimming Championships in Singapore.

From BBC • Sep. 30, 2025

Granada Hills won all three relays and sophomore Isabella San Jose won the 200 individual medley in 2:08.62 and the 100 breaststroke in 1:03.69, then anchored the 4x100 freestyle relay.

From Los Angeles Times • May 11, 2025

Meanwhile, twins Eliza and Scarlett Humphrey will race each other for the second time in the Games after reaching the final of the women's SM11 200m individual medley.

From BBC • Sep. 3, 2024

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