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
The parent of a female athlete at Saturday's meet told Fox News Digital that a coach informed them that the same pilot program would be implemented for the remainder of the state postseason, starting with the section final on Saturday.
—Jackson Thompson Outkick, FOXNews.com, 17 May 2026
Because for five days before the World Cup, from June 10 through June 14, nearly every major hotel is booked with thousands of athletes and fans.
—Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 16 May 2026
Fitted with technologically advanced prosthetics connected directly to the brain, Genie not only learns to walk again but surpasses the limits of human performance as a Paralympic athlete.
—Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 16 May 2026
Unlike in most soccer-dominant countries, many of the nation’s best young athletes gravitate toward the NBA, NFL or baseball because those sports offer stronger cultural prestige, college scholarships and larger financial payouts.
—Clemente Lisi, Forbes.com, 16 May 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.
Jackson Thompson Outkick, FOXNews.com, 17 May 2026
Because for five days before the World Cup, from June 10 through June 14, nearly every major hotel is booked with thousands of athletes and fans.
—Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 16 May 2026
Fitted with technologically advanced prosthetics connected directly to the brain, Genie not only learns to walk again but surpasses the limits of human performance as a Paralympic athlete.
—Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 16 May 2026
Unlike in most soccer-dominant countries, many of the nation’s best young athletes gravitate toward the NBA, NFL or baseball because those sports offer stronger cultural prestige, college scholarships and larger financial payouts.
—Clemente Lisi, Forbes.com, 16 May 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 21 May. 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
