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• podium
  podium

  noun

  a small platform for the conductor of an orchestra, a public speaker, the recipient of a sports medal, etc.
• -podium
  -podium

  a combining form meaning “footlike part” of an organism, used in the formation of compound words.

podium

¹ American  

[poh-dee-uhm] / ˈpoʊ di əm /

noun

• podiums,
  plural
• podia
  plural

1. a small platform for the conductor of an orchestra, a public speaker, the recipient of a sports medal, etc.

2. Architecture.

   1. a low wall forming a base for a construction, as a colonnade or dome.

   2. a stereobate for a classical temple, especially one with perpendicular sides.

   3. the masonry supporting a classical temple.

   4. a raised platform surrounding the arena of an ancient Roman amphitheater having on it the seats of privileged spectators.

3. lectern.

4. a counter or booth, as one at an airport for handling tickets or dispensing information.

5. Zoology, Anatomy. a foot.

6. Botany. a footstalk or stipe.

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verb (used without object)

1. (in a sports competition) to finish first, second, or third and receive an award while standing on a podium.

   He’s podiumed in five of his past six races.

-podium ² American  

1. a combining form meaning “footlike part” of an organism, used in the formation of compound words.

   monopodium; pseudo-podium.

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podium ¹ British  

/ ˈpəʊdɪəm /

noun

1. a small raised platform used by lecturers, orchestra conductors, etc; dais

2. a plinth that supports a colonnade or wall

3. a low wall surrounding the arena of an ancient amphitheatre

4. zoology

   1. the terminal part of a vertebrate limb

   2. any footlike organ, such as the tube foot of a starfish

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-podium ² British  

combining form

1. a part resembling a foot

   pseudopodium

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Usage

What does -podium mean? The combining form -podium is used like a suffix meaning “footlike part.” It is very occasionally used in scientific terms, especially in botany. The form -podium comes from Greek pódion, meaning “little foot.” The Latin cognate of pódion is pēs, “foot,” and is the source of several combining forms related to the lower extremities, including -ped, -pede, and pedi-. Discover more at our Words That Use articles for each of these three forms. What are variants of -podium?The form -podium is a variant of -pode. It also shares an origin with the combining forms pod-, podo-, -pod, -poda, and -podous. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use articles for all these forms.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• podia
  plural
• podiums
  plural

Etymology

Origin of podium¹

1605–15; < Latin: “elevated place, balcony” < Greek pódion “little foot,” equivalent to pod- pod- + -ion diminutive suffix. See pew

Origin of -podium²

From New Latin; see origin at podium

Explanation

A podium is a raised platform like the kind Olympians stand on when they win a medal or like the overturned crate in the garage where you pretend to accept your Academy Award. Stepping up to a podium means taking center stage. A person might be receiving an honor or giving a speech and the added height of a podium makes that person the focus. If you wave a baton as the conductor of an orchestra or band, you'll need to stand on a podium so the musicians can see you. And, if you deliver a rousing message in a church you might use a podium, but probably shouldn't be waving a baton.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

podium podia podiums

Each time he stood with his gold medals on the awards podium as “The Star-Spangled Banner” sounded through Hitler’s stadium, the world received the message loud and clear.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026

It worked as Finucane led a Welsh cycling medal charge in Glasgow with 11 podium positions.

From BBC ● Aug. 2, 2026

He couldn’t do anything about that Wednesday from the podium at Big Ten media days.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026

At the podium, there appeared to be confusion about the notes he was reading from and team manager Dave Roberts intervened.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026

Miss Mortimer seemed enthralled by the performance and approached the podium as soon as the applause died down, which, to be blunt, did not take very long.

From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood

Many boomers, who grew up reading Mailer, seeing him regularly on TV, in gossip columns and on college campus podia, took him as a given.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 6, 2022

See her brave the weather at tarmacs, outdoor podia, and tourist hotspots below.

From Slate ● Apr. 20, 2018

There are many podia along the length of the arm, which allow the sea star to latch onto objects and walk.

From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2015

The circumoesophageal water-ring communicates indirectly with the exterior; the podia, when present, are respiratory, not locomotor, in function.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 8, Slice 10 "Echinoderma" to "Edward" by Various

B, Distal joint-face. c, Ventral groove, where lies the water-vessel, from which branches pass through the ossicle, emerging as podia at e and e.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 8, Slice 10 "Echinoderma" to "Edward" by Various

NBA stars such as Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson wear Anta on the court, and top East African runners have taken the podiums in them.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 12, 2026

It will be Vance striding toward planes in photographs and Vance standing behind podiums to explain why negotiations aren’t working.

From Salon ● Apr. 27, 2026

"The next generation really believes and talks about podiums like it's a normal thing," Ryding told Ski Sunday before the Games.

From BBC ● Feb. 16, 2026

Four years ago, she was a favorite in Beijing but went 0 for 6 on podiums and failed to cross the finish line three times.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 14, 2026

There was a table that curved out to face residents, and two podiums positioned to face the board members.

From "The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora" by Pablo Cartaya

Related Words

• dais
• platform
• rostrum
• stage