olympics
olympics Lexical Profile
olympics Game Scores & Validity
• noun
The modern international multi-sport competition held every four years in summer and winter editions, in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate.
"She trained rigorously for four years in hopes of representing her country at the Summer Olympics."
The ancient panhellenic festival of athletic, equestrian, and musical competitions held every four years at Olympia in ancient Greece.
"In antiquity, a sacred truce was declared across the Greek city-states so athletes and spectators could travel safely to the Olympics."
Any large-scale competition or contest modeled on the international athletic games, testing skill or excellence in a specified non-athletic field.
"Our high school robotics team won a silver medal at the regional science olympics."
Word Nuance & Usage
Although plural in form, "Olympics" can take either a singular verb (when treated as a single event or organization) or a plural verb (when referring to the individual athletic contests), and is almost always preceded by the definite article "the."
• Rhymes for olympics
Word Origin & Etymology
Shortened from "Olympic Games," derived via Latin "Olympicus" from Ancient Greek "Olympikos," referring to Olympia, the sanctuary plain in Elis, Greece, where the ancient panhellenic games were held in honor of Zeus.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.