blood sport

noun

1

: a sport or contest (such as hunting or cockfighting) involving bloodshed

2

: a ruthless or cutthroat competition or conflict

… the blood sport that is political blogging.

—Massimo Calabresi

Examples of blood sport in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The values imparted to me throughout my public school education — equal opportunity, impartial justice, respect for expertise, basic honesty — have been abandoned by a new breed of politician that has turned governance itself into a blood sport. — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 29 June 2026

For a show about two aspiring comedians who treated pop-culture trivia as a blood sport and regarded every social interaction as an opportunity for judgment, Difficult People has aged alarmingly well. — Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 16 June 2026

The often convoluted petition process is often regarded as a blood sport in Illinois. — Kate Armanini, Chicago Tribune, 26 May 2026

The maximum penalty for participants in the blood sport is five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. — Sam Cohn, Baltimore Sun, 14 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1886, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for blood sport

• abort
• airport
• alport
• athwart
• carport
• comport
• consort
• deport
• disport
• distort
• escort
• exhort