Athlete
/ˈæθliːt/
nounBeginner🔥Very CommonPerson
1 meaning2 questions
Definitions
1
A person who is trained or skilled in sports and other forms of physical exercise.
/ˈæθliːt/
nounneutralBeginner
Person
A person trained to compete in sports
She is a talented athlete.
💡 Simply: Someone good at sports.
More Examples
2
Many athletes train for years to compete at the Olympics.
How It's Used
Sports
"The athlete won the gold medal in the marathon."
Media
"News reports featured the athlete's impressive performance."
From Greek ἆθλητής (athlētēs), from ἄθλος (athlos) "contest, prize"
The word has been used in reference to competitive sports since ancient Greece.
Memory tip
Think 'athletic' – athletes are athletic!
Word Origin
LanguageGreek
Original meaning
"one who competes in a contest"
elite athleteamateur athleteprofessional athleteOlympic athlete
Common misspellings
athleetathliteathelete
Practice
Usage
70%Spoken
30%Written