Olympic Games

plural noun

1
: an ancient Panhellenic festival held every fourth year and made up of contests of sports, music, and literature with the victor's prize a crown of wild olive
2
: a modified revival of the ancient Olympic Games consisting of international athletic contests that are held at separate winter and summer gatherings at four year intervals

called also Olym*pics\ ə-​ˈlim-​piks How to pronounce Olympic Games (audio) , ō-​ \

Examples of Olympic Games in a Sentence

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During her tenure, USA Gymnastics surged to success on the medal podium, most notably with 11 medals at the 2024 Olympic Games. Caroline Price, Forbes.com, 5 June 2025 The 2025 race will feature Glenn Mills, an American who was expected to win a medal in the 1980 Olympic Games until the U.S. boycotted the games, held in Moscow, Andrew said. Phil Rockrohr, Chicago Tribune, 5 June 2025 Just how severely Donald Trump may impact, tarnish or otherwise undermine Los Angeles’ 2028 Olympic Games remains an open question. Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 5 June 2025 The new space is in The Spiral Tower in Hudson Yards, an area redeveloped as part of New York City's bid to host the 2012 Summer Olympic Games on the site of a former rail yard. Aman Kidwai, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for Olympic Games

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1586, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of Olympic Games was circa 1586

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Cite this Entry

“Olympic Games.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Olympic%20Games. Accessed 11 Jun. 2025.

Kids Definition

Olympic Games

plural noun
1
: an ancient Greek festival held every fourth year and made up of contests in sports, music, and literature
2
: a series of international athletic contests held in a different country during the summer and the winter once every four years

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