Olympic Games

American  

plural noun

1. Also called Olympian Games.  the greatest of the games or festivals of ancient Greece, held every four years in the plain of Olympia in Elis, in honor of Zeus.

2.  Olympics.  a modern international sports competition, held once every four years.

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Olympic Games British  

noun

1. the greatest Panhellenic festival, held every fourth year in honour of Zeus at ancient Olympia. From 472 _bc , it consisted of five days of games, sacrifices, and festivities

2. Also called: the Olympics.  the modern revival of these games, consisting of international athletic and sporting contests held every four years in a selected country since their inception in Athens in 1896 See also Winter Olympic Games

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Olympic Games Cultural  

1. Games held in ancient times on the plain of Olympia in Greece every four years. It was a time for laying aside political and religious differences, as athletes from all the Greek cities and districts competed. The games included patriotic and religious rituals as well as athletic contests, and high honors were given to the winners. The Greeks counted their years by olympiads (periods of four years) and dated events from the first Olympics in 776 b.c.

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The Olympic Games deteriorated under Roman rule of Greece and were halted in the fourth century. They were revived in the late nineteenth century, with goals of peace and fellowship modeled on those of the ancient Olympics. The modern Olympics include many athletic events of the original games, such as the discus throw.

Etymology

Origin of Olympic Games

First recorded in 1600–10

Example Sentences

Eventually, ticket sales became more important, especially after the 1992 Olympic Games put Barcelona on the global tourist map.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 7, 2026

Next month's World Cup, where Los Angeles is hosting eight matches, was supposed to allow the Californian metropolis to burnish its image, just two years before the city hosts the Olympic Games.

From Barron's • May 27, 2026

“As the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles approach, we cannot allow what should be a celebration of honest sporting endeavor to be overshadowed by this cynical attempt to undermine clean sport,” Banka said.

From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2026

Los Angeles previously passed a series of minimum-wage increases for airport and hotel workers that would have lifted hourly pay to at least $30 by mid-2028, just in time for the Olympic Games.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 20, 2026

They had come to inspect the old Deutsches Stadion, built in 1916 for the ill-fated Olympic Games of that year.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown