heptathlon

noun

hep·​tath·​lon hep-ˈtath-lən How to pronounce heptathlon (audio)
-ˌlän,
 nonstandard  -ˈta-thə-
: a 7-event athletic contest
specifically : a composite contest for female athletes that consists of the 100-meter hurdles, the high jump, the shot put, the 200-meter dash, the long jump, the javelin throw, and the 800-meter run

Examples of heptathlon in a Sentence

She won a gold medal in the heptathlon.
Recent Examples on the Web The Hogs also have four entries in the heptathlon with Jack Turner, Yariel Soto Torrado, Marcus Weaver and Daniel Spejcher. Bob Holt, arkansasonline.com, 29 Feb. 2024 Arkansas is on pace to score major points in the heptathlon today with the Razorbacks in the top four spots through four of seven events. Bob Holt, arkansasonline.com, 24 Feb. 2024 Garland won the heptathlon at the NCAA Indoor Championships with 6,639 points and earned two of the four highest decathlon scores in NCAA history at the SEC and NCAA outdoor meets. Andrew Joseph, Arkansas Online, 27 June 2023 On this day 31 years ago, Jackie Joyner-Kersee won the heptathlon at the summer Olympics in Barcelona, becoming the first person to win the event in consecutive Games. Karim Doumar, Los Angeles Times, 2 Aug. 2023 During this year's heptathlon, which featured seven different competitions, Flach competed in every event and ultimately finished 15th out of the 18 heptathlon competitors, according to Huff Post. Georgia Slater, PEOPLE.com, 6 Oct. 2021 Ford dominated the heptathlon both days finishing first in five of the seven events and fourth in the other two. al, 17 May 2023 The heptathlon isn't one of track and field's most glamorous events, but Hall appears destined to blossom into one of its stars. Tom Schad, USA TODAY, 26 July 2023 The 27-year-old is France’s reigning heptathlon champion and competes for the track-and-field team at Azusa Pacific University. Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'heptathlon.' 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

hept- + -athlon (as in decathlon)

First Known Use

1977, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of heptathlon was in 1977

Dictionary Entries Near heptathlon

Cite this Entry

“Heptathlon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heptathlon. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

heptathlon

noun
hep·​tath·​lon
hep-ˈtath-lən,
-ˌlän
: an athletic contest made up of seven different track-and-field events

More from Merriam-Webster on heptathlon

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