Did you know?
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
Jacob Whitehead,
New York Times,
4 July 2026
But breaking four from the rail at Saratoga, right in the teeth of the thundering peloton furiously en route into the first turn does not on the surface of it do this particular race-favorite much good.
—
Guy Martin,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2026
Packs of bikers formed roving protest pelotons, cycling down avenues and stymieing traffic.
—
Diego Lasarte,
New Yorker,
16 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for peloton
Cite this Entry
“Peloton.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/peloton. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
Copy Citation
