podium

1 of 2

noun

po·​di·​um ˈpō-dē-əm How to pronounce podium (audio)
plural podiums or podia ˈpō-dē-ə How to pronounce podium (audio)
1
: a low wall serving as a foundation or terrace wall: such as
a
: one around the arena of an ancient amphitheater serving as a base for the tiers of seats
b
: the masonry under the stylobate of a temple
2
a
: a dais especially for an orchestral conductor
b

-podium

2 of 2

noun combining form

plural -podia
: foot : part resembling a foot
pseudopodium

Examples of podium in a Sentence

Noun the conductor on the podium tonight is one of the leading figures of classical music
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Warren admits some losses still sting, but all those years of grinning stoically as other songwriters leaped to the podium to claim a statuette have at least taught her to change her perspective and temper her expectations. Tyler Coates, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Mar. 2024 The team remains ever thankful to have Alonso in one of its driver seats, as the Spaniard gives it a chance at making the podium every single race. Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 8 Mar. 2024 Building that kind of support among the branches all but assures that the Academy will hoist Nolan to the podium for the first time for stringing it all together in one movie. Ew Staff Published, EW.com, 8 Mar. 2024 The entire Kelce family was present, watching as the burly, bearded, typically jovial and wise-cracking Jason broke down in tears multiple times at the podium on national television. Kristina Behr, Parents, 6 Mar. 2024 Milton Andersen: At the podium … Lyle read a letter from Jose … that was filled with love and pride for his sons. Natalie Morales, CBS News, 2 Mar. 2024 At one point, Kuehne grabbed what appeared to be a podium and placed it in the way of a metal barrier to keep it from closing, the documents said. Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 23 Feb. 2024 But missing the podium didn’t dim the crowd’s affection, nor her mood. Bill McKibben, The New Yorker, 22 Feb. 2024 The 41-year-old Alonso finished on the podium eight times last year and initially appeared to pose a threat to Red Bull’s dominance, though the car’s competitiveness tailed off towards the end of the season. Sam Joseph, CNN, 29 Feb. 2024

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

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Latin — more at pew

Noun combining form

New Latin, from Greek podion, diminutive of pod-, pous foot — more at foot

First Known Use

Noun

1743, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of podium was in 1743

Dictionary Entries Near podium

Cite this Entry

“Podium.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/podium. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

podium

noun
po·​di·​um ˈpōd-ē-əm How to pronounce podium (audio)
plural podiums or podia -ē-ə How to pronounce podium (audio)
: a raised platform especially for an orchestral conductor

More from Merriam-Webster on podium

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