A cleat is a piece of metal, plastic, or rubber attached to the bottom of an athletic shoe to provide extra grip on grass, dirt, or turf. Soccer players wear cleats to keep from slipping when they sprint and change direction quickly. Baseball players use them to dig into the dirt when running the bases. Football players need cleats to push off powerfully without losing their footing on muddy or wet fields.

The word can also refer to the shoes themselves: “Don't forget your cleats for practice today.” Different sports use different cleat designs. Soccer cleats are lighter and lower-cut for quick footwork, while football cleats are sturdier with higher ankle support.

Outside of sports, a cleat is also a T-shaped or horn-shaped piece of metal or wood attached to a dock or boat deck. Sailors loop ropes around these cleats to tie up their boats securely. When a boat arrives at the marina, someone on the dock catches the rope and wraps it around a cleat several times in a special pattern to keep the boat from drifting away.