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
Deborah LawsonExamples 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
When an Olympic athlete suffers an injury requiring immediate care, a team of medical professionals from both the host city and the athlete’s national Olympic team step in to help.
—Sara Germano, Sportico.com, 13 Feb. 2026
Founded during segregation, the Globetrotters broke down barriers as a showcase for Black athletes.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 13 Feb. 2026
While athletes in some sports, like figure skating and ski jumping, tend to benefit from a slimmer physique, Mandelbaum says that using a medication like a GLP-1 may not offer all the perks someone would expect.
—Emily Kay Votruba, EverydayHealth.com, 13 Feb. 2026
Kevin Harvey was raised by a single mom, and was a three-sport athlete at Mineral Wells High School in the late ‘90s.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for athlete
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Sara Germano, Sportico.com, 13 Feb. 2026
Founded during segregation, the Globetrotters broke down barriers as a showcase for Black athletes.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 13 Feb. 2026
While athletes in some sports, like figure skating and ski jumping, tend to benefit from a slimmer physique, Mandelbaum says that using a medication like a GLP-1 may not offer all the perks someone would expect.
—Emily Kay Votruba, EverydayHealth.com, 13 Feb. 2026
Kevin Harvey was raised by a single mom, and was a three-sport athlete at Mineral Wells High School in the late ‘90s.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for athlete
Cite this Entry
“Athlete.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/athlete. Accessed 18 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
