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marathon

SayMA-ruh-thonUS/ˈmæɹəˌθɑn/AUS/ˈmæɹə(ˌ)θɔn/UKMA-ruh-thuhn/ˈmæɹəθən/

Pluralmarathons

Verbmarathons, marathoning, marathoned

4 meanings of marathon

Practice

  1. 1
    nouncountable
    A road race covering 42.195 kilometers, or 26 miles and 385 yards.

    He completed the marathon in just under four hours.

    The course for the Boston marathon includes a famous uphill stretch near the finish.

  2. 2
    nounfigurativelycountable
    A prolonged or demanding undertaking that requires sustained effort over a long stretch of time.

    The final exam season felt like a marathon of late nights and coffee.

    Negotiating the contract became a marathon stretching over several weeks.

    Similarslog, ordeal, grind

  3. 3
    verbcolloquialtransitive
    To watch or read a large number of episodes or installments of something in a single sitting.

    She planned to marathon all eight films before the new release.

    Fans marathon the entire trilogy whenever it returns to streaming.

    Similarbinge

  4. 4
    verbintransitive
    To compete in or run a 42.195-kilometer road race.

    She hopes to marathon in three different cities this year.

    Thousands marathon every fall despite the cold weather.

Practice

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Origin

From French marathon, coined in 1894 by the linguist Michel Bréal for the first modern Olympic Games, after Ancient Greek Μαραθών (Marathṓn), a town northeast of Athens. According to tradition, Phidippides ran from Marathon to Athens to deliver news of the Battle of Marathon, and the modern race covers roughly the same distance. The town's name comes from μάραθον (márathon, "fennel"), reflecting how common the plant was in the area.