athlete

noun

ath·​lete ˈath-ˌlēt 

nonstandard

ˈa-thə-ˌlēt 

1

: a person who is trained or skilled in exercises, sports, or games requiring physical strength, agility, or stamina

professional athletes

2

: an animal (such as a horse or a dog) that competes in races or other sporting events or has qualities (such as stamina and agility) suggestive of a human athlete

Hospice working dogs were wiry, muscular, agile, yellowish-tan or brown athletes with unexaggerated heads …

—Deborah Lawson

Examples of athlete in a Sentence

Athletes from around the world will be competing at the Olympics.

She was quite an athlete as a child.

Recent Examples on the Web

And Monday, OutKick's Jackson Thompson reported that a Washington family requested a SCOTUS injunction after their daughter was allegedly assaulted by a trans athlete last year. — Matt Calkins Outkick, FOXNews.com, 6 Oct. 2026

Yet for the actors, musicians, and athletes stepping into a recording booth, the process of making an audio memoir can be draining. — Brian Raftery, Vanity Fair, 6 Oct. 2026

Its 15 members include NBA great Pau Gasol representing athletes. — ABC News, 6 Oct. 2026

However, the rule doesn’t apply to college athletes from the high school class of 2022 who did not redshirt as freshmen. — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 5 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin athleta, from Greek athlētēs, from athlein to contend for a prize, from athlon prize, contest

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing athlete

• athlete's foot

Rhymes for athlete

• amit
• backseat
• blackfeet
• broadsheet
• browbeat
• buckwheat
• compete
• compleat
• complete
• conceit
• concrete
• crabmeat

Kids Definition

athlete

noun

ath·​lete ˈath-ˌlēt 

: a person who is trained in or good at games and exercises that require physical skill, endurance, and strength