A strongwoman is a woman who performs feats of strength in a show or circus, or a woman who competes in strength athletics. Traditionally, strongwomen have had a special appeal, as women involved in demonstrated feats of strength were exceptions. Modern day strongwoman competitions test athletes physical strength and endurance through a variety of heavy lifts and events.

Traditionally, strongwomen were featured as performers in a circus, or in vaudeville, music halls, or other venues, and engaged in feats of strength such as barbell lifting and human juggling.

Some famous traditional strongwomen include:

In recent years, the term strongwoman has come to refer to the women who compete in events such as the annual World's Strongest Woman and Arnold Strongwoman Classic competitions. Strongwomen compete in the sport of Strongman and the sport has become popular with female strength athletes over the past decade that there are several state and nationally sanctioned competitions that prepare amateur female athletes for national competitions that allow for the opportunity to compete as professionals. In all these contests, the participants compete in similar types of events that can be found in a Strongman competition. Such events include, but are not limited to:

Some notable modern strongwomen:

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Additionally, the following 23 strongwomen have won 1 international competition (open category) each:

Nina Geria, Michelle Sørensen, Edith Pongratz & Angéline Berva (1 from 1 each); Annina Saine, Shayna Wirihana & Katie Blunden (1 from 2 each); Annabelle Chapman & Liefia Ingalls (1 from 3 each); Erin Murray (1 from 5); Kati Luoto & Joe Kimitaunga (1 from 6 each); Cherry Muchindu (1 from 7); Angelica Jardine & Hannah Linzay (1 from 8 each); Britteny Cornelius & Jennifer Lyle (1 from 9 each); Anna Harjapää (1 from 10); Heini Koivuniemi, Brooke Sousa, Samantha Belliveau & Melissa Peacock (1 from 11 each).