a contest between athletes
"The local school hosted an exciting athletics day where every student competed in various running and jumping events against their classmates."
participation in sports events as an extracurricular activity
"After finishing her math homework, Sarah rushed to join the track team for evening athletics practice."
A group of sporting activities including track and field, road running, cross country and racewalking.
"She won three gold medals at the international athletics competition, but her favorite event is always the long jump."
plural of athletic
In plain English: Athletics are sports that involve running, jumping, and throwing events usually held at a track meet.
"The whole town came out to cheer for the team during the local athletics meet."
Usage: Athletics refers collectively to competitive sports and physical exercises, not the singular adjective athletic. Use this term when discussing organized games or activities rather than describing someone's physique.
The team The Oakland Athletics, previously Kansas City Athletics and Philadelphia Athletics.
"The fans cheered wildly when the Oakland Athletics won their first home game of the season."
The word athletics likely entered English by following the pattern of gymnastics to describe sports and physical exercises. It derives from the adjective athletic, which relates to strength or agility.