olympiad

noun

olym·​pi·​ad ə-ˈlim-pē-ˌad How to pronounce olympiad (audio)
ō-
often capitalized
1
: one of the 4-year intervals between Olympic Games by which time was reckoned in ancient Greece
2
: a quadrennial celebration of the modern Olympic Games
also : a competition or series of competitions resembling an olympiad especially in variety or challenge

Examples of olympiad in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web That's when Sneha Mohan and Michael Kim, who now recently finished up the eighth grade, and other Science Olympiads at Daniel Wright, presented the coaches with an offer. Ronnie Wachter, chicagotribune.com, 9 June 2017 But a calling is a calling, and Ms. Benton answered hers, entering scholarship competitions and arts Olympiads until she was accepted into the acting conservatory at Carnegie Mellon. Alexis Soloski, New York Times, 11 May 2017

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

Middle English Olympias, from Latin Olympiad-, Olympias, from Greek, from Olympia, site of ancient Olympic Games

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of olympiad was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near olympiad

Cite this Entry

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

Kids Definition

olympiad

noun
olym·​pi·​ad ə-ˈlim-pē-ˌad How to pronounce olympiad (audio)
ō-
often capitalized
1
: one of the four-year periods between Olympic Games
2
: a celebration of the modern Olympic Games
also : a competition similar or compared to the Olympic Games
the school's math olympiad

More from Merriam-Webster on olympiad

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