The definition of athletics are sports that require physical strength, speed and/or skill.
Track and field, soccer and swimming are all examples of athletics.
sports, games, exercises, etc. requiring physical strength, skill, stamina, speed, etc.
noun(used with a sing. or pl. verb)
- Activities, such as sports, exercises, and games, that require physical skill and stamina.
- The principles or system of training and practice for such activities.
aerobics a form of physical activity characterized by strenuous exercise of many muscle groups and intended to increase muscle tone and cardiovascular fitness. —aerobic, adj. agonist one who contends for a prize in public games. —agonistic, agonistical, adj. agonistics the art of athletic combat or contests in public games. aquatics the art and exercise of water sports. athleticism 1. an active interest in sports. 2. an obsessive participation in physical activity. —athletic, adj. calisthenics the science, art, or practice of bodily exercises intended to promote strength, health, and grace of movement. —calisthenic, calisthenical, adj. contortionist a person who performs gymnastic feats involving distorted postures. —contortionistic, adj. decathlon an athletic contest in which the contestants compete for points awarded for performances in ten different track and field events, the winner being the one with the highest aggregate score. The events include 100-meter, 400-meter, and 1500-meter runs, 110-meter high hurdles, long jump, high jump, pole vault, shot-put, javelin throw, and discus throw. Cf. heptathlon, pentathlon, triathlon. discobolus 1. a discus thrower. 2. cap., italics. the famous 5th-century B.C. statue by Myron of a discus thrower. gymnasiast a gymnast. See also learning. gymnast a person who is involved in or skilled in the art of gymnastics. gymnastics 1. regimented exercises performed on floor mats and on certain specialized equipment that entail the skills of tumbling and balancing and that are intended to display flexibility, grace, and strength. 2. physical or athletic exercises; calisthenics. —gymnastic, adj. heptathlon an athletic competition in which contestants compete for points awarded for performances in seven different track and field events, the winner being the one with the highest aggregate score. The competition, usually for women, consists of 100-meter and 800-meter runs, 100-meter hurdles, high jump, long jump, javelin throw, and shot-put. Cf. decathlon, pentathlon, triathlon. isometrics a form of physical exercise in which a set of muscles is tensed briefly, either in opposition to another set or against a solid surface. Cf. isotonics. —isometric, adj. isotonics muscular exercise using free weights or fixed devices to simulate resistance of weight. Cf. isometrics. —isotonic, adj. lampadedromy Ancient Greece. a race in honor of Prometheus in which the contestants ran bearing lit torches, the winner being the first to finish with his torch still lit. Also called lampadrome, lampadephoria. lampadist a contestant in a lampadedromy. Also called lampadephore, lampadophoros. natation the act or art of swimming or floating on water. —natatory, —natatorial, adj. natator a swimmer. natatorium a swimming pool, particularly an indoor facility. palaestra, palestra Ancient Greece. a public place for athletics or wrestling. —palaestric, palestric, adj. pancratiast a person skilled in the art of boxing or wrestling. —pancratiastic, adj. pentathlon 1. Track and Field, an athletic contest in which the contestants compete for points awarded for performances in five different track and field contests, the winner being the one with the highest aggregate score. The events include, for women, an 800-meter run, 100-meter hurdles, high jump, long jump, and shot-put; for men, 200-meter and 1500-meter runs, long jump, javelin throw, and discus throw. 2. Olympic Games. Usually, modern pentathlon an athletic contest in which the contestants compete for points awarded for performances in five events: fencing, horseback riding, pistol shooting, cross-country running, and swimming. quinquennalia Ancient Rome. public games that took place every five years. titlist a champion or one who holds a title. trampolinist a person who performs feats of tumbling using a trampoline as a springboard. Also trampoliner. —trampoline, n. triathlon an intense aerobic endurance competition, typically, in its longest form, consisting of a 2.4-mile ocean swim, a 112-mile bicycle ride, and a 26.2-mile marathon run, the winner being the one to finish all three events in the least time.
From athlete + -ics.
- (baseball) The team The Oakland Athletics, previously Kansas City Athletics and Philadelphia Athletics.
- (US, sports) Nickname for many athletic teams whose full name includes "Athletics".