Athlete: The Word Behind Every Track, Court and Pool
An athlete is a person trained in sport, especially one who competes. The word comes from a Greek verb meaning to compete for a prize, so the prize was built into it from the start.
An athlete is someone trained to compete in physical sport. In British use the word leans towards track and field; in American use it covers anyone who plays sport seriously, from a swimmer to a linebacker. The common thread is training, not talent.
- A competitor in sport. *She became a professional athlete at nineteen.*
- A track and field competitor (British). *The athletes lined up for the 400 metres.*
- Anyone physically capable and well trained. *He is a fine athlete for his age.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | athlete | A world-class athlete. |
| Plural | athletes | Two hundred athletes competed. |
| Adjective | athletic | An athletic build. |
| Noun (activity) | athletics | She coaches athletics. |
| Adverb | athletically | He moved athletically across the court. |
How it is used in a sentence
- The athlete failed a routine drugs test.Neutral, formal register — common in news writing.
- He was a gifted athlete before the injury.Describes general sporting ability, not one sport.
- Student athletes train around their lectures.A fixed pairing in American education.
Athlete, player, sportsman and competitor
- Athlete — trained for physical competition, any discipline
- Player — takes part in a game, usually a team one
- Sportsman — older and now often avoided as gendered
- Competitor — anyone entered in a contest, sporting or not
From Greek *athletes*, a contestant, from *athlon*, a prize. The Latin *athleta* passed into English in the fifteenth century. A person who trains hard but never enters a contest is, by the old sense, not quite an athlete at all.
Is athletics singular or plural?
It takes a singular verb when it means the sport: *athletics is her life*. It is plural only when you mean several separate events.
Does athlete only mean a runner?
In Britain it often suggests track and field. In American English it covers every sport, which is why the two dialects sometimes talk past each other.