heptathlon

noun

hep·​tath·​lon hep-ˈtath-lən  -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

Hall, of Greenwood Village, is making her Olympic debut after winning the heptathlon at the same event. —Esteban L. Hernandez, Axios, 4 Aug. 2024

His father, Greg Duplantis, was a professional pole vaulter competing for the United States, while his mother, Helena, competed in heptathlon for Sweden. —George Ramsay, CNN, 6 Aug. 2024

Other finals are the men’s 400 hurdles, women’s 400, women’s 10,000 meters, women’s shot put, men’s triple jump and women’s heptathlon. —John Cherwa, Los Angeles Times, 9 Aug. 2024

Joyner-Kersee was impressed that Hall competed in the open 400-m hurdles race as well as the heptathlon. —Sean Gregory, TIME, 7 Aug. 2024

Word History

Etymology

hept- + -athlon (as in decathlon)

First Known Use

1977, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

heptathlon

noun

hep·​tath·​lon

hep-ˈtath-lən,

-ˌlän

: an athletic contest made up of seven different track-and-field events