weightlifter
Americannoun
Explanation
A weightlifter is an athlete who picks up and holds a very heavy barbell. Weightlifters compete to see which of them can heave the heaviest load. Weightlifters compete in many competitions, including the Olympics. These powerful athletes are able to lift enormous amounts of weight, often grunting loudly while they do so. Olympic weightlifters have three chances to lift a barbell weighing anywhere from 100 to 250 pounds. If you do bicep curls at home with 20-pound weights, you can still call yourself a weightlifter!
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.
Like when a weightlifter staggered under a puny-looking barbell, then dropped it, tripped over it and landed face first.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
Few around the weightlifter knew of her elite performance background and few would have even suspected it as the Olympian settled in to a more low-key existence.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
Despite decades of unrest, Manipur has built a reputation as one of India's most consistent producers of elite athletes - such as Olympic weightlifter Mirabai Chanu, boxer Mary Kom and judo champion Sushila Devi Likmabam.
From BBC ● Feb. 10, 2026
Olympic team as a weightlifter, a sport in which she had risen to a world-class level in the women’s 63-kilogram division.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 29, 2026
I squat and stand, sure I look like a weightlifter at the Olympics as my legs wobble.
From "Saints and Misfits" by S.K. Ali
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
