relay race

American  

noun

Sports.

• relay races
  plural

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

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relay race British  

noun

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

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• relay races
  plural

Etymology

Origin of relay race

First recorded in 1895–1900

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

relay race

If life is a relay race, your brother passed on the Social Security baton.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 11, 2026

I described it as a relay race: We start with democracy and Piggy, then comes cracking of civility and Jack, then chaos with Simon, and finally war with Ralph.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 9, 2026

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

The Freedom Writers see this book as the third leg of a relay race.

From "The Freedom Writers Diary" by The Freedom Writers