athlete
noun
ath·lete
| \ ˈath-ˌlēt
, nonstandard ˈa-thə-ˌlēt
\
, nonstandard ˈa-thə-ˌlēt
\
Definition of athlete
1
: a person who is trained or skilled in exercises, sports, or games requiring physical strength, agility, or stamina
2
: an animal (such as a horse or a dog) that competes in races or other sporting events or has qualities (such a 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
Examples 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
In addition to Koepka, Garrett and Peterson, the roster of athletes who participated includes a reigning MVP, a Hall of Famer, a championship soccer player, a nine-time NBA All-Star and an entire NFL offensive line. — Editors, USA TODAY, "Florida reeling from Hurricane Dorian, CNN climate change town hall: 5 things to know Wednesday," 4 Sep. 2019 The county returns a solid foundation of veteran athletes prepared to shake things up this season. — Megan Woodward, baltimoresun.com/maryland/carroll, "Fall Sports Previews: 3 things to watch for girls soccer in 2019," 4 Sep. 2019 Many of the athletes supplement their incomes by playing in Europe in the offseason. — Los Angeles Times, "Column: Sparks coach Derek Fisher likes the home he has found in the WNBA," 3 Sep. 2019 Christ said the campus had patched up such weaknesses in athletics five years earlier: names of athletes who rarely play are now checked against donor lists to flag quid pro quo admissions, and three committees verify athletic applicants. — Nanette Asimov, SFChronicle.com, "UC Berkeley chancellor confronts diversity, housing challenges as classes resume," 2 Sep. 2019 Then, as much as 86 percent of athletes who experience concussions will likely endure post-traumatic migraines or headache pain in general. — Nicole Skrobin, chicagotribune.com, "Cannabis: Optimal treatment method for post-concussion syndrome symptoms," 30 Aug. 2019 Sophomore Kori Edmondson leads a group of standout athletes who also play for McDonogh’s lacrosse team, which finished last season ranked No. 1 in the nation. — Rich Scherr, baltimoresun.com, "2019 Baltimore-area field hockey preseason Top 15 poll," 30 Aug. 2019 The 6-foot, 205-pound Miami native had 54 total tackles and four interceptions last season, is considered one of the best athletes in the country and is a prospect for next year's NFL Draft. — Fletcher Page, Cincinnati.com, "UC football's James Wiggins will not play in season-opener against UCLA," 29 Aug. 2019 The wake slalom event consisted of athletes crossing the boat wake as many times as possible in two 15-second passes (one pass in the forward position and one pass in the backward position). — Gary Curreri, sun-sentinel.com, "Delray Beach barefoot waterskiier takes third in nation," 29 Aug. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'athlete.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for athlete
athlete
noun
English Language Learners Definition of athlete
: a person who is trained in or good at sports, games, or exercises that require physical skill and strength
See the full definition for athlete in the English Language Learners Dictionary
athlete
noun
ath·lete
| \ ˈath-ˌlēt
\
\
Kids Definition of athlete
: a person who is trained in or good at games and exercises that require physical skill, endurance, and strength
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