English Dictionary

ATHLETE

Pronunciation (US): Play  (GB): Play

IPA (US): 

 Dictionary entry overview: What does athlete mean? 

ATHLETE (noun)
  The noun ATHLETE has 1 sense:

1. a person trained to compete in sportsplay

  Familiarity information: ATHLETE used as a noun is very rare.


 Dictionary entry details 


ATHLETE (noun)


Sense 1

Meaning:

A person trained to compete in sports

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

athlete; jock

Hypernyms ("athlete" is a kind of...):

contestant (a person who participates in competitions)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "athlete"):

striker (a forward on a soccer team)

runner (a trained athlete who competes in foot races)

sharpshooter (an athlete noted for accurate aim)

shot putter (an athlete who competes in the shot put)

skater (someone who skates)

skier (someone who skis)

sledder (someone who rides a sled)

soccer player (an athlete who plays soccer)

sport; sportsman; sportswoman (someone who engages in sports)

amateur (an athlete who does not play for pay)

reserve; second-stringer; substitute (an athlete who plays only when a starter on the team is replaced)

swimmer (a trained athlete who participates in swimming meets)

swinger (someone who swings sports implements)

tennis player (an athlete who plays tennis)

pole jumper; pole vaulter; vaulter (an athlete who jumps over a high crossbar with the aid of a long pole)

lifter; weightlifter (an athlete who lifts barbells)

winger ((sports) player in wing position)

pentathlete (an athlete who competes in a pentathlon)

acrobat (an athlete who performs acts requiring skill and agility and coordination)

ball hawk (a team athlete who is skilled at stealing or catching the ball)

ballplayer; baseball player (an athlete who plays baseball)

basketball player; basketeer; cager (an athlete who plays basketball)

climber (someone who climbs as a sport; especially someone who climbs mountains)

cricketer (an athlete who plays cricket)

football player; footballer (an athlete who plays American football)

gymnast (an athlete who is skilled in gymnastics)

hockey player; ice-hockey player (an athlete who plays hockey)

hooker ((rugby) the player in the middle of the front row of the scrum who tries to capture the ball with the foot)

hurdler (an athlete who runs the hurdles)

jumper (an athlete who competes at jumping)

lacrosse player (an athlete who plays lacrosse)

letterman (an athlete who has earned a letter in a school sport)

Olympian (an athlete who participates in the Olympic games)

pro; professional (an athlete who plays for pay)

Instance hyponyms:

Dick Fosbury; Fosbury; Richard D. Fosbury (United States athlete who revolutionized the high jump by introducing the Fosbury flop in the 1968 Olympics (born in 1947))

Bob Mathias; Mathias; Robert Bruce Mathias (United States athlete who won Olympic gold medals in the decathlon (born in 1930))

James Cleveland Owens; Jesse Owens; Owens (United States athlete and Black American whose success in the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin outraged Hitler (1913-1980))

James Francis Thorpe; Jim Thorpe; Thorpe (outstanding United States athlete (1888-1953))

Babe Didrikson; Babe Zaharias; Didrikson; Mildred Ella Didrikson; Mildred Ella Didrikson Zaharias; Zaharias (outstanding United States athlete (1914-1956))

Derivation:

athletic (relating to or befitting athletics or athletes)


 Context examples 


About half of college athletes see their post-concussive symptoms resolve within 10 days, but in others, the symptoms become chronic.

(Biomarker in blood may help predict recovery time for sports concussions, NIH)

Athlete's foot is a common infection caused by a fungus.

(Athlete's Foot, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

They are used by bodybuilders and athletes to increase muscle mass, strength, and stamina.

(Anabolic steroid, NCI Thesaurus)

"They are among the best athletes in the world — so thank you," said Kipchoge after the run.

(Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya runs marathon under two hours, Wikinews)

A new gene that can lead to sudden death among young people and athletes has now been identified by an international team of researchers.

(Gene Causes Sudden Death in Young People, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

Athletes can also use the device to assess and monitor their performance in various winter sports.

(Nanogenerator Creates Electricity from Snowfall, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

Some prevent or cure diseases, like tooth decay and athlete's foot.

(Over-the-Counter Medicines, Food and Drug Administration)

Both men fulfilled that requisite of the powerful athlete that they should look larger without their clothes than with them.

(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Community-associated MRSA happens to people who have close skin-to-skin contact with others, such as athletes involved in football and wrestling.

(MRSA, NIH: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases)

If you have ever had athlete's foot or a yeast infection, you can blame a fungus.

(Fungal Infections, NIH: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases)



 Learn English with... Proverbs 
"Don't make a mountain out of a molehill." (English proverb)

"Every rock strikes the feet of the poor." (Afghanistan proverb)

"Bread and cheese, eat and dance." (Armenian proverb)

"If you marry a monkey for his wealth, the money goes and the monkey remains as is." (Egyptian proverb)



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