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
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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 Dogfighting is a felony in all 50 states, including in Texas since 1983, but the blood sport persists in rural and urban areas. Tracey McManus, Dallas Morning News, 12 Feb. 2026 In the ruins of a dystopian Rio de Janeiro—a city fractured by class conflict and addicted to blood sport—a resistance leader is forced to enter a violent, high-stakes race to save his sister from a fate worse than death. Mia Galuppo, HollywoodReporter, 4 Feb. 2026 Fittingly, more than a few observers have been eager to turn art into blood sport, pitting Coen against Coen, Safdie against Safdie, and theorizing about which sibling is the greater talent. Justin Chang, New Yorker, 2 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for blood sport

Word History

First Known Use

1886, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of blood sport was in 1886

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Cite this Entry

“Blood sport.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/blood%20sport. Accessed 18 May. 2026.

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