mar·a·thon
| \ ˈmer-ə-ˌthän
, ˈma-rə-\
, ˈma-rə-\
Definition of marathon
(Entry 1 of 2)
1
: a footrace run on an open course usually of 26 miles 385 yards (42.2 kilometers)
broadly
: a long-distance race
2a
: an endurance contest
b
: something (such as an event, activity, or session) characterized by great length or concentrated effort
Marathon
geographical name
Mar·a·thon
| \ ˈmer-ə-ˌthän
, ˈma-rə-\
, ˈma-rə-\
Definition of Marathon (Entry 2 of 2)
1
plain of eastern Greece in Attica northeast of Athens on the Aegean Sea
2
ancient town on the plain of Marathon
Examples of marathon in a Sentence
Noun
We watched a marathon of our favorite movies.Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
While relearning how to walk, run, bike and row, Jones competed in the Paralympic Games, biked across the country, ran daily marathons for a month, and raised money for veterans’ charities. — Jenna Portnoy, Washington Post, "Marine veteran Rob Jones of Virginia seeks to challenge Wexton," 22 July 2019 About 10 years ago, Litton began publicizing his quest to run sub-three-hour marathons in all 50 states. — David Wharton, latimes.com, "Is this 70-year-old marathon runner from East L.A. a record setter or a cheater?," 21 June 2019 Women of all weights, shapes and sizes run marathons, practice yoga, do CrossFit. — Glamour, "A Telegraph Article Called Nike's Plus-Size Mannequins 'a Lie.' Women Are Calling BS.," 11 June 2019 Women of all weights, shapes, and sizes run marathons, practice yoga, do CrossFit. — Macaela Mackenzie, Allure, "Someone Said Nike’s Plus-Size Mannequins Are “a Dangerous Lie,” and Women Are Calling B.S.," 11 June 2019 Look no further than Gillibrand, who has run two marathons and plays on the congressional women's softball team. — Michelle Ruiz, Vogue, "Women Candidates Have Fun Hobbies Too, They Just Don't Get to Talk About Them," 4 Apr. 2019 Yesterday marked Linden’s sixth time racing the Boston Marathon—and first-ever time atop the podium of a major marathon race. — Jenny Mccoy, SELF, "7 Things to Know About 2018 Boston Marathon Winner Desiree Linden," 17 Apr. 2018 Now living in Charlevoix, the two-time Olympian claims her first major marathon win after finishing second in the 2010 Chicago Marathon and the 2011 Boston Marathon. — Kirkland Crawford, Detroit Free Press, "2018 Boston Marathon: Michigan's Des Linden wins women's race," 16 Apr. 2018 Boston: Matt Damon narrates this 2017 documentary about the Boston Marathon, the world's oldest annual marathon. — Chris Ball, cleveland.com, "'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' now on DVD and Blu-ray (review)," 1 Apr. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'marathon.' 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 marathon
marathon
noun
English Language Learners Definition of marathon
: a running race that is about 26 miles (42 kilometers) long
: something (such as an event or activity) that lasts an extremely long time or that requires great effort
: a contest in which people compete with each other to see who can do something for the longest amount of time
See the full definition for marathon in the English Language Learners Dictionary
marathon
noun
mar·a·thon
| \ ˈmer-ə-ˌthän
\
\
Kids Definition of marathon
1
: a long-distance running race
2
: a long hard contest
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