podium

1 of 2

noun

po·​di·​um ˈpō-dē-əm How to pronounce podium (audio)
plural podiums or podia ˈpō-dē-ə How to pronounce podium (audio)
Synonyms of podium
1
: a low wall serving as a foundation or terrace wall: such as
a
: one around the arena of an ancient amphitheater serving as a base for the tiers of seats
b
: the masonry under the stylobate of a temple
2
a
: a dais especially for an orchestral conductor
b
: lectern

-podium

2 of 2

noun combining form

plural -podia
: foot : part resembling a foot
pseudopodium

Synonyms of podium

Relevance

Noun

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of podium in a Sentence

Noun the conductor on the podium tonight is one of the leading figures of classical music
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Noun
The team sent Kelsey Mitchell and Monique Billings to the podium with head coach Stephanie White. — Dan Zaksheske Outkick, FOXNews.com, 3 Aug. 2026 As a result, the hotel rooms themselves will likely be confined to the podium and the Howland building at the base, rather than inside the column of the Tower itself, unless an extraordinary amount of money is sunk into the project. — David Szondy august 01, New Atlas, 1 Aug. 2026 With daylight left to the next finisher, Kim Le Court-Pienaar (AG Insurance-Soudal Team) came in second, and FDJ United-Suez’s Demi Vollering rounded out the day’s podium. — Jessica Hopkins, New York Times, 1 Aug. 2026 When pushed again to talk about his relationship with Sheer, Collins abruptly left the podium and walked away from reporters. — Irene Wright, USA Today, 31 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for podium

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Latin — more at pew

Noun combining form

New Latin, from Greek podion, diminutive of pod-, pous foot — more at foot

First Known Use

Noun

1743, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of podium was in 1743

Rhymes for podium

See All Rhymes for podium

Browse Nearby Words

-podite
podium
-podium
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Podium.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/podium. Accessed 4 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

podium

noun
po·​di·​um ˈpōd-ē-əm How to pronounce podium (audio)
plural podiums or podia -ē-ə How to pronounce podium (audio)
: a raised platform especially for an orchestral conductor

More from Merriam-Webster on podium

Nglish: Translation of podium for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about podium

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of élan

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

How long is a jiffy?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
asap street sign
Figure Out These Acronyms ASAP You don't have to be a NASA engineer to get these...
See All