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• track and field
  track and field

  noun

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

  adjective

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

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

Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian launched Athlos, a women’s track and field meet that began in New York City in 2024 and added a stop in London to its 2026 schedule.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 13, 2026

At the state track and field championships, Jayden Rendon of Carson was in the lead of the 300 intermediate hurdles on Saturday when he struck the final hurdle and fell to the ground.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 3, 2026

The senior at Cathedral High is running in the 1,600 at the CIF state track and field championships on Friday at Buchanan High.

From Los Angeles Times • May 27, 2026

He’ll take his 3.8 grade-point average and giant body to study buisness and compete in track and field at UC Irvine.

From Los Angeles Times • May 17, 2026

In PE, Coach Swieteck put Joseph in charge of his own squad of kids who wanted to go out for track and field in the spring.

From "Orbiting Jupiter" by Gary D. Schmidt