: 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 as 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
Example Sentences
Athletes from around the world will be competing at the Olympics. She was quite an athlete as a child.
Recent Examples on the WebRemains to be seen what this means for arguably the league's most electric athlete, who didn't make it to the end of 2021's late-stage implosion. Nate Davis, USA TODAY, 5 Aug. 2022 He’s an athlete, a great kid that just loves to play. Cam Kerry, BostonGlobe.com, 4 Aug. 2022 American Shawnti Jackson was the top finisher in the semifinals in 11.16 seconds, a personal best and tied for the second-best recorded by a National Federation of High School Associations (NFHS) athlete.oregonlive, 3 Aug. 2022 What was almost as epic however, was her celebratory nod to American athlete, Chastain, who tore her off her shirt and swung it around her head after defeating China in the 1999 Women's World Cup. Natasha Dye, PEOPLE.com, 1 Aug. 2022 Boudia is an eight-time USA Diving athlete of the year, six-time NCAA champion at Purdue and 2005 IHSA state champ. David Woods, The Indianapolis Star, 8 Sep. 2022 Chronicles Williams’ early beginnings in Compton, CA to her epic ascent to international prominence, exploring the key moments on and off the court that shaped the athlete, woman, and mother. Rodney Ho, ajc, 5 Sep. 2022 The Serbian athlete, who is not vaccinated against COVID-19, spoke out about his absence from the tournament Thursday morning on Twitter. Natasha Dye, Peoplemag, 25 Aug. 2022 Leonard Ray Dawson was born in Alliance, Ohio, on June 20, 1935, and was a star three-sport athlete — football, track and basketball — in high school. Brian Murphy, Washington Post, 24 Aug. 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
Middle English, from Latin athleta, from Greek athlētēs, from athlein to contend for a prize, from athlon prize, contest