track and field

¹ American  

noun

1. a sport performed indoors or outdoors and made up of several events, as running, pole-vaulting, shot-putting, and broad-jumping.

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track-and-field ² American  

[trak-uhn-feeld] / ˈtræk ənˈfild /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or participating in the sports of running, pole-vaulting, broad-jumping, etc..

   a track-and-field athlete.

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Usage

What does track and field mean? Track and field is the name for the group of sports that involve running on a track (short- and long-distance running races, from 100 to 10,000 meters), jumping (high jump, long jump, triple jump), throwing (shot put, javelin, discus, hammer throw), or some combination (hurdles, steeplechase, pole vault). In track and field, the running events are performed on a track, the throwing events are performed on a field, and the jumping events are performed on a specialized setup (such as a track and a sand pit, as in the long jump and the triple jump). When it is used as an adjective, the term is often hyphenated, as in track-and-field events. Many track-and-field athletes compete in more than one track-and-field event. A sprinter may compete in 100- and 200-meter races, as well as a relay race, for example. A long-distance runner may compete in multiple long-distance races (such as the 1,500- and 5,000-meter races). Some track-and-field athletes compete in events that combine multiple running, jumping, and throwing events, such as the decathlon (10 events). The track-and-field events at the summer Olympic Games (the Summer Games) are often considered the pinnacle of competition in the sport. Not all sports that take place (or partially take place) on a track or field (such as archery or cycling) are considered part of track and field. Cross-country running is often considered distinct from track and field because it involves racing on open terrain (as opposed to a track). In the UK and other places, track-and-field events are sometimes known collectively as athletics. Example: I played football when I was younger, but in college I started competing in track and field.

Etymology

Origin of track-and-field

First recorded in 1930–35

Example Sentences

This is the weekend high school track and field takes center stage in Southern California.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 5, 2026

Person was a track and field athlete at Weber State in Utah when he was recruited by USA Bobsled/Skeleton.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 23, 2026

Hill arrived in the NFL after a successful junior track and field career, which included a gold medal at the World Junior Championships in 2012 as a member of the USA's 4x100m relay squad.

From Barron's • Feb. 17, 2026

"It was his dream," Oleksiy Kasyanov, the general secretary of Ukraine's track and field federation and formerly its national decathlon coach, told the paper.

From BBC • Feb. 13, 2026

Like gymnastics, or track and field, fencing is still an individual sport, so even though I had qualified for the United States National Team, I would fence both the individual and team events during competitions.

From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad