athlete

American  

[ath-leet] / ˈæθ lit /

noun

athletes plural

1. a person trained or gifted in exercises or contests involving physical agility, stamina, or strength; a participant in a sport, exercise, or game requiring physical skill.

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athlete British  

/ ˈæθliːt /

noun

1. a person trained to compete in sports or exercises involving physical strength, speed, or endurance

2. a person who has a natural aptitude for physical activities

3. a competitor in track and field events

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Pronunciation

Athlete, athletic, and athletics, normally pronounced , , and , are heard frequently with an epenthetic schwa, an intrusive unstressed vowel inserted between the first and second syllables: , , and . The pronunciations containing the extra syllable are usually considered nonstandard, in spite of their widespread use on radio and television. Pronunciations with similarly intrusive vowels are also heard, though with less currency, for other words, as for film, for elm, and for arthritis, rather than the standard , , and .

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonathlete
  noun
• superathlete
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• athletes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of athlete

1520–30; < Latin āthlēta < Greek āthlētḗs, equivalent to āthlē- (variant stem of āthleîn to contend for a prize, derivative of âthlos a contest) + -tēs suffix of agency

Explanation

An athlete is someone who trains for and competes in sporting events, as a professional or just for fun, like an athlete who bowls on a team, runs in local 5K races, or wins a gold medal at the Olympics. The noun athlete comes from the Greek word athletes, meaning “contestant in the games.” Anyone who competes in sporting competitions can be called an athlete, but usually the term is reserved for people with a high level of dedication, skill and fitness. If your income comes from participating in your sport, you are a professional athlete.

Example Sentences

The indictment cites one student athlete whose test Finkelstein signed off as normal, despite indications of potential heart abnormalities.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 25, 2026

The 48-year-old former athlete was taken into custody and released the same day after posting a $5,000 bond.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 25, 2026

Everyone assumed his son, a gifted athlete, would follow in his footsteps—at least until Alex had a talk with his father about what he really hoped to pursue.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 20, 2026

There are few available details about what happened to the 39-year-old retired athlete who won a bronze medal in the 1,500 meters at the 2016 Rio Olympics, or what her condition is.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 17, 2026

Because there were so few Muslim women on the professional sports circuit, I was an inspiration for a lot of people, especially as the first professional athlete from the United States who also wears hijab.

From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad

Related Words

• animal
• competitor
• contestant
• jock
• player
• professional
• sport