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If you've ever watched the Tour de France on television, you've seen the peloton, the brightly colored pack of riders making up the central group. You may have also gained some inadvertent insight into the word itself, which as you may have guessed is French in origin. In French, "peloton" literally means "ball," but it is most often used with the meaning "group." It's frequently used in the bicycling context, just as in English, but it can also refer to a group in a marathon or other sporting event. French peloton can also mean "squad" or "platoon," and since we’ve told you that you probably won’t be too surprised to learn that it is also the source of our word platoon.
Examples of peloton in a Sentence
ArsTechnica, 16 Apr. 2025
As is becoming clear, the carbohydrate revolution that Roche is championing has become commonplace in the professional peloton.
—Devin Kelly, Outside Online, 3 Apr. 2025
At Flanders, the peloton’s big and brawny racers like Flemish hero Wout van Aert or Dutch racer Mathieu van der Poel get to shine.
—Frederick Dreier, Outside Online, 2 Apr. 2025
What's 30 minutes to walk, run, or ride the peloton?
—David Faris, Newsweek, 27 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for peloton
Cite this Entry
“Peloton.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/peloton. Accessed 20 May. 2025.
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