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

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Paris spent over $1 billion to clean up the Seine and the canal to be swimmable ahead of the 2024 Olympic Games. — Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 23 June 2026 Many skiers expressed concern during these Olympic Games about climate change and the accelerating melt of the world’s glaciers. — ABC News, 24 June 2026 The inflatable figures were first introduced to American audiences during the opening ceremonies of the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. — Brian Unger, CBS News, 18 June 2026 Training at altitude was first popularised for endurance athletes after the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City which were held at an elevation of around 2,200m. — Chris Marshall-Bell, New York Times, 29 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for Olympic Games

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

Rhymes for Olympic Games

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Browse Nearby Words

olympic blue
Olympic Games
Olympic Mountains
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Cite this Entry

“Olympic Games.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Olympic%20Games. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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Kids Definition

Olympic Games

plural noun
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

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about Olympic Games

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