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

Recent Examples on the Web But his reputation and career took a debilitating hit when the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) falsely accused him of using performance-enhancing drugs, costing him the 1992 Olympic Games. Addie Morfoot, Variety, 14 Mar. 2024 As Paris prepares to host the upcoming Olympic Games, officials at the Louvre are taking a deep dive into the storied event’s beginnings. Julia Binswanger, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 Mar. 2024 In addition to the World Friendship Games in Moscow and St. Petersburg, which will largely track the sporting categories of the Summer Olympics, there will be a winter version called the Winter Spartakiad, probably to be held in Sochi, site of the last Olympic Games to be hosted by Russia in 2014. Fred Weir, The Christian Science Monitor, 4 Mar. 2024 Germany Win Third Place On the other hand, Klara Buhl and Lea Schuller’s contributions in the second half secures Germany a third-place finish in the first edition of the tournament and a spot at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Assile Toufaily, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024 Up next: an appearance at the World Figure Skating Championships in Montreal — the next stop on the road to the 2026 Winter Olympic Games. Tim Chan, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Feb. 2024 Shizuoka has swiftly risen to prominence as one of Japan’s top cycling hotspots—even serving as the proud venue for the road cycling events of the recent Summer Olympic Games. Jonny Bierman, Vogue, 27 Feb. 2024 He’s also been credited with sealing the high-profile sponsorship for the luxury behemoth with the upcoming Paris Olympic Games this summer. Prarthana Prakash, Fortune Europe, 23 Feb. 2024 Redondo made four appearances at the FIFA U-20 World Cup Argentina 2023 last year and played six games at the 2024 CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic Tournament, as the U-23 team qualified for the 2024 Paris Summer Olympic Games and finished as runners up. Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 23 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Olympic Games.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Dictionary Entries Near Olympic Games

Cite this Entry

“Olympic Games.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Olympic%20Games. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

Olympic Games

noun plural
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

More from Merriam-Webster on Olympic Games

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!