Paralympics

plural noun

Para·​lym·​pics ˌper-ə-ˈlim-piks 

ˌpa-rə-

: a series of international contests for athletes with disabilities that are associated with and held following the summer and winter Olympic Games

called also Paralympic Games

Paralympian

ˌper-ə-ˈlim-pē-ən 

ˌpa-rə-

noun

Paralympic

ˌper-ə-ˈlim-pik 

ˌpa-rə-

adjective

Examples of Paralympics in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Making The Leap The records broken at this year’s Olympics and Paralympics belong to the athletes who worked the hardest and the smartest. —George Murgatroyd, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024

Host nation France made history at the 2024 Paralympics in Paris, winning its first gold medal in the sport by defeating Argentina on penalties in the final. —Sam Joseph, CNN, 29 Oct. 2024

According to the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), this was the first Paralympics in which all 22 sports received live media coverage. —Mark Lasota, Ph.d., Forbes, 20 Oct. 2024

Here’s What To Do My conversation with Gorder was coincident with the Paralympics Games happening in Paris. —Steven Aquino, Forbes, 8 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

para(plegic) + (O)lympics, later interpreted as para- entry 1 in sense "alongside of" + (O)lympics

First Known Use

1953, in the meaning defined above