Definitions for marathon
ˈmær əˌθɒn, -θənmarathon

Princeton's WordNet(2.80 / 5 votes)Rate this definition:

1. marathon, endurance contestnoun

   any long and arduous undertaking

2. marathonnoun

   a footrace of 26 miles 385 yards

3. Marathon, battle of Marathonnoun

   a battle in 490 BC in which the Athenians and their allies defeated the Persians

Wiktionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. marathonnoun

   A 42.195 kilometre (26 mile 385 yard) road race.

   Etymology: Μαραθών, a town northeast of Athens. Phidippides the Greek ran the distance from Marathon to Athens to deliver a message regarding the Battle of Marathon. The modern sport of marathon running is based on a run approximately the same distance.

2. marathonnoun

   Any extended or sustained activity.

   He had a cleaning marathon the night before his girlfriend came over.

   Etymology: Μαραθών, a town northeast of Athens. Phidippides the Greek ran the distance from Marathon to Athens to deliver a message regarding the Battle of Marathon. The modern sport of marathon running is based on a run approximately the same distance.

Freebase(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Marathon

   The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres, that is usually run as a road race. The event was instituted in commemoration of the fabled run of the Greek soldier Pheidippides, a messenger from the Battle of Marathon to Athens. The marathon was one of the original modern Olympic events in 1896, though the distance did not become standardized until 1921. More than 500 marathons are held throughout the world each year, with the vast majority of competitors being recreational athletes. Smaller marathons, such as the Stanley Marathon, can have just dozens of participants, while larger marathons can have tens of thousands of participants.

The Nuttall Encyclopedia(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Marathon

   a village, 22 m. NE. of Athens, on the sea border of a plain where the Greeks under Miltiades on a world-famous occasion defeated the Persians under Darius in 480 B.C.; the plain on which the battle was fought extends between mountains on the W. and the sea on the E.

Military Dictionary and Gazetteer(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. marathon

   A village on the east shore of Attica, 20 miles northeast from Athens. Here on September 28 and 29, 490 B.C., the Greeks, only 10,000 strong, defeated the Persian army amounting to 200,000, who had 6400 killed. The Greek loss was 192 Athenians killed, besides some Platæans and slaves. The Greeks were commanded by Miltiades, Aristides, and Themistocles. Among the slain was Hippias, the instigator of the war. The Persian army was forced to retreat to Asia.

Suggested Resources(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. marathon

   Song lyrics by marathon -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by marathon on the Lyrics.com website.

Matched Categories

1. • Footrace
   • Pitched Battle
   • Undertaking

How to pronounce marathon?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say marathon in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of marathon in Chaldean Numerology is: 2

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of marathon in Pythagorean Numerology is: 9

Examples of marathon in a Sentence

1. Malissa Wood:

   I do know these are people who are not taking non-steroidals, who are pretty well trained, and had an average finish indicating they had properly prepared for the marathon, and still 82%, had some kidney impact from the running, that just says to me, be careful, think about it, and be prepared.

2. Simon Kindleysides:

   With this marathon being in my hometown, so many groups of people came out and walked a mile with us throughout the race, with things like this, you have so much adrenaline going through your body that even when I was tired, everyone's energy pulled me through.

3. Phoebe Harrington:

   It was like he was running a marathon.

4. Kamala Harris:

   I'm saying that I will weigh in specifically, but Boston Marathon's Boston Marathon that I bring to it, yeah.

5. Aliphine Tuliamuk:

   I want to inspire people, most importantly my daughter, to chase their dreams, i’m a different athlete and person than I was the last time I ran the TCS New York City Marathon in 2019, so why not fulfill one more dream on Nov. 7?

Popularity rank by frequency of use