athlete
/ˈaθliːt
/noun
1A person who is proficient in sports and other forms of physical exercise: he had the broad-shouldered build of a natural athlete...
- Big money comes more quickly for athletes in other sports than it does in boxing.
- I have noticed in the last year or two a drop-off in the number of young athletes coming into the sport.
- Although not a natural athlete, he could perform amazing physical feats.
Synonyms
sportswoman, sportsman, sportsperson;
runner, racer, player, games player, gymnast, team member;
competitor, contestant, contender
informal keep-fit buff, keep-fit freak
North American informal jock, jockstrap
1.1British A person who takes part in competitive track and field events (athletics).Any halfway competitive track athlete ought to be able to cover that in 20 seconds, tops....
- Many local athletes competed in the North East's leading open meeting of the season.
- Have a good week at work and best of luck to our athletes in the track and field events today!
Origin
Late Middle English: from Latin athleta, from Greek athlētēs, from athlein 'compete for a prize', from athlon 'prize'.
In Greek athlon meant ‘prize’, and the word athlētēs, from which we get athlete, literally meant ‘someone who competes for a prize’. It originally referred to one of the competitors in the physical exercises—such as running, leaping, boxing, and wrestling—that formed part of the public games in ancient Greece and Rome.
Rhymes
- perduration
- perdure
- peregrinate
- peregrination
- peregrinator
- peregrinatory
- peregrine
- peregrine falcon
- peregrine praetor
- peregrine pretor
- peregrine tone
- peregrinity
- pereion
- pereionite
- pereiopod
- perelle
- Perelman, S. J.
- perempt
- peremption
- peremptorily
- peremptoriness
- peremptory
- peremptory challenge
- Perendale
- perendinant