sprintern.
/ˈsprɪntə/, U.S. /ˈsprɪn(t)ər/ 1.
a. A person who (or occasionally animal which) sprints or competes in sprint races; esp. an athlete, cyclist, etc., who specializes in racing over a short distance at high speed. Also: a person who or animal which is naturally adept at, or suited to, sprinting. Cf. sprint n.2 2a, sprint v. 1a.
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society > travel > transport > cycling > [noun] > cyclist > fast or reckless
sprinter1841
scorcher1885
road hog1887
the world > movement > rate of motion > swiftness > going swiftly on foot > [noun] > running > running a short distance at full speed > one who
sprinter1841
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > racing or race > racing on foot > [noun] > racing specific distance > runner
miler1838
sprinter1841
quarter-miler1893
marathoner1908
half-miler1959
four-minute miler1963
ultra-marathoner1978
ultra-runner1978
1841 Bell's Life in London 21 Mar. This crack sprinter is now prepared to run.
1870 Sporting Times 9 Apr. 115/2 Prince Soltykoff's new bargain, Tibthorpe..carried off the Racing Plate..like the brilliant ‘sprinter’ he is.
1889 A. C. Gunter That Frenchman! vi. 65 He..runs wildly down the street, proving himself..a sprinter of first-rate speed.
1895 Windsor Mag. 120 [He] is probably the fastest sprinter ever seen on a safety.
1936 Stage June 69/2 Peter Fick, freestyle swimming sprinter.
1946 R. Genders Mod. Greyhound Racing xiii. 134 One of the famous Wireless Rally/Erin Green litter so well known to greyhound fans, he has been one of the finest sprinters this country has ever seen.
1951 Cycling 18 Jan. 67/2 To ensure that the contest shall be closely matched the sprinter Harris and the pursuiter Patterson will race over 3,000 metres.
1967 Daily Mail 23 Jan. 11/4 Palace need a natural sprinter on one of their wings.
2012 Liverpool Echo (Nexis) 6 Sept. 58 Sprinter Anyika Onuora ran a time of 11.60 seconds for 100m into a strong headwind of 0.5 metres per second.
b. figurative and in figurative contexts. A person who (or occasionally thing which) performs an action as quickly as possible, in as short a space of time as possible, or with a brief concentrated burst of effort. Cf. sprint v. 1c.
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the world > action or operation > manner of action > rapidity or speed of action or operation > [noun] > one who is rapid or makes rapid progress
hasting1546
fire-eater1841
fast timer1881
rattler1886
sprinter1899
fast worker1917
swiftie1945
1899 C. Scott Drama of Yesterday & To-day I. xvi. 555 The dramatic art has..suffered much at the hands of the ‘sprinters’ on the press.
1929 Advertiser (Adelaide) 27 May 12/6 My advice to young women is not to be swept off their feet by the tempestuous lover, who generally turns out to be a sprinter, not a stayer.
1989 Independent (Nexis) 18 Aug. This needs to be a short, superficial election campaign. Enda is a sprinter, not a marathon man.
2017 Australian (Nexis) 11 July (Nation section) 6 The battery..is a sprinter not a stayer so the hope is it will last just long enough for back-up to come into play at a more realistic price than is occurring now.
2. A vehicle designed to travel rapidly over short distances; spec. (originally and chiefly British, chiefly with capital initial) (the name of) a type of passenger train designed to make short, frequent journeys at speed. Frequently attributive.
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society > travel > rail travel > rolling stock > [noun] > train > passenger train > high-speed
bullet train1966
advanced passenger train1967
APT1967
Shinkansen1968
Metroliner1969
TGV1980
sprinter1984
society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > vessel with reference to qualities or attributes > [noun] > with reference to behaviour at sea > fast
sprinter1984
society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > powered vehicle > motor car > [noun] > other types of racing car
road racer1885
sprint car1904
road car1914
sprinter1984
1984 Pract. Boat Owner Feb. 44/1 The boat herself is a light displacement sprinter.
1984 Times 20 Nov. 4/5 The new ‘Sprinter’ train is said to be fast, quiet and comfortable.
1991 Mod. Railways Apr. 199/3 There are also proposals to allow Sprinters and Express trains to travel at higher speeds than freight on that route.
1995 N. Whittaker Platform Souls (1996) Prol. 9 Sprinter units ferrying workers and shoppers to places like Aston and Walsall and Dudley.
2017 Border Mail (Austral.) (Nexis) 5 Aug. 27 Other regional towns have fast, regular Sprinter trains. Why not the North East?
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2019; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1841