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.

When an athlete is supported to move in a way that suits their structure, their strength profile and their natural rhythm, performance accelerates.

From Science Daily • Apr. 8, 2026

Nikita Filippov was the only Russian athlete to win a medal at the Winter Olympics, taking silver in ski mountaineering.

From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026

The collaboration follows Reese’s runway debut at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show in October, where she was the first professional athlete ever to walk the show.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 7, 2026

Growing up in Fort Worth, where many of her friends knew her as Cindy, Cynthia Renee Gandy was a talented athlete who was popular with her classmates.

From Slate • Apr. 6, 2026

I knew I wasn’t the only athlete who wanted to avoid the press.

From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad

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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