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If you've ever watched the Tour de France on television, you've seen the peloton, the brightly colored pack of riders making up the central group. You may have also gained some inadvertent insight into the word itself, which as you may have guessed is French in origin. In French, "peloton" literally means "ball," but it is most often used with the meaning "group." It's frequently used in the bicycling context, just as in English, but it can also refer to a group in a marathon or other sporting event. French peloton can also mean "squad" or "platoon," and since we’ve told you that you probably won’t be too surprised to learn that it is also the source of our word platoon.
Examples of peloton in a Sentence
David Faris, Newsweek, 2 Feb. 2025
Essentially, like bikers in a peloton, the schooling fish could weather turbulence and save energy.
—Carlyn Kranking, Smithsonian Magazine, 31 Dec. 2024
The rules were aimed at the emerging use of continuous glucose monitors in the peloton, but the mention of lactate sparked widespread curiosity.
—Alex Hutchinson, Outside Online, 25 Nov. 2024
Though Furrer’s descent was not caught by television cameras, The Athletic has seen footage of the peloton descending the climb, taken approximately 350m before the crash site.
—Jacob Whitehead, The Athletic, 20 Dec. 2024
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Dictionary Entries Near peloton
Cite this Entry
“Peloton.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/peloton. Accessed 10 Feb. 2025.
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