Paralympics
Americanplural noun
plural noun
Usage
What are the Paralympics? The Paralympics, formally called the Paralympic Games, are an international athletic competition featuring multiple sporting events between athletes with a range of bodily differences and disabilities. The event is modeled after the Olympic Games, featuring the world’s top athletes in their sports, with the top three finishers in each event being awarded medals: gold for first place, silver for second place, and bronze for third place. Like the Olympics, there are Winter and Summer versions of the Paralympics, and they are usually held after the corresponding Olympic event in the same city. The Winter Paralympics feature winter sports, including skiing, snowboarding, ice hockey, and many others. The Summer Paralympics feature traditionally warm weather and indoor sports, like track and field, swimming, and wheelchair basketball, among many others. Eligibility for and competition in the Paralympics is based on categories that involve bodily differences and different types of disabilities, including those related to muscle power and movement, range of movement, limb differences, visual impairment, and intellectual disabilities. Athletes who compete in the Paralympics can be called Paralympians.
Etymology
Origin of Paralympics
C20: parallel + Olympics
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.
That the next Games are seen as a step towards India hosting the Olympics and Paralympics - possibly also in Ahmedabad - should help ensure their success.
From BBC ● Aug. 2, 2026
Williams has also been lobbying with others for his sport to be included in a future Paralympics Games.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
Eventually he was going to devise a whole new sport of wheelchair tennis, introduce it to the world and see it played at Grand Slams and Paralympics.
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026
The Paralympics, which open on Aug. 15, 2028 and close on Aug. 27, needs volunteers from August to September.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 15, 2026
Applicants can specify their preferred location, their special skills and whether they would like to volunteer for the Olympics or Paralympics.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 15, 2026
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
