relay race

American

noun

Sports.

a race between two or more teams of contestants, each contestant being relieved by a teammate after running part of the distance.

relay race British

noun

a race between two or more teams of contestants in which each contestant covers a specified portion of the distance

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of relay race

First recorded in 1895–1900

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.

Ashley Porter, a 39-year-old marathon runner in Washington, D.C., started mixing trail runs into her weekly training to prepare for a long-distance running relay race in Zion National Park, in Orderville, Utah, in May.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 30, 2026

"We're in a relay race, and we're not successful until the next missions are successful."

From Barron's • Mar. 27, 2026

In the relay race, I’m the last person with the last baton, and everybody’s in front of me, but I know I can win.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 10, 2025

China took gold in a thrilling men's 4x100m medley relay race, beating the United States into second and France third, with the British quartet finishing fourth.

From BBC • Aug. 4, 2024

Noodles took the pink yarn and the needles like taking a baton in a relay race, and started up the steps, two at a time.

From "When I Was the Greatest" by Jason Reynolds

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