athlete

[ath-leet] / ˈæθ lit /

NOUN

person involved in sports

Synonyms

STRONGEST

animal competitor contestant jock player professional sport

STRONG

amateur challenger contender gorilla jockey shoulders

WEAK

games player iron person muscle person sportsperson superjock

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The former athlete spent four weeks in hospital and described struggling.

From BBC • May 21, 2026

Ohanian prioritised athlete input from the outset, reaching out to individuals such as Olympic 200m champion Thomas via social media long before Athlos' inaugural season in 2024.

From BBC • May 21, 2026

If I have a seven-foot athlete, which I do have on my roster, and he’s, you know, he’s massive — he wears a 16-and-a-half shoe.

From Los Angeles Times • May 18, 2026

When can an athlete be considered truly great?

From The Wall Street Journal • May 18, 2026

Back then, these grandmasters commanded as much prestige in Soviet society as a movie star or an Olympic athlete does in contemporary America.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

Vocabulary lists containing athlete

List 1

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A Soccer and a Football Special

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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for August 28–September 3, 2021

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