esport

noun

ˈē-ˌspȯrt 

variants or e-sport

plural esports or e-sports

: a multiplayer video game used as the basis for an organized competition

Rapa has played over 10,000 hours of "League of Legends" since the game's release. He thinks the complexity of the game is what turns kids away from trying it out as an esport.

—James Lotts

Though women make up nearly half of all US gamers, the number decreases to a third for games that are considered an esport …

—Melissah Yang

What has made Overwatch League unique compared to other leagues in the multibillion-dollar world of esports is attaching teams to cities and trying to build a hometown fan base like traditional sports.

—Arash Markazi

For almost a decade, pro-circuit video gaming has been inching toward acceptance as an e-sport.

—Alan Feuer

—often used before another noun

esport gaming

esport players

also : the activity of engaging in esports

Four teams are in the semi-finals this weekend. That's how a semi-final works, even in esport.

—Megan Stewart

Examples of esport in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

BlizzCon says the opening ceremony, panels across both days of the show, and esports competitions will also be livestreamed. — Isabelle Farina, Variety, 20 Aug. 2026

The men would book themselves into esports and gaming hotels that advertised rooms with high-end systems. — Jon Martindale, PC Magazine, 17 Aug. 2026

For these publishers, Asia is a key market that is traditionally underserved by major esports events for global titles, so running events in the region with BLAST should increase each game’s visibility in the region. — Mike Stubbs, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026

The video-game publisher has esports competitions with NPB as well. — Justin Birnbaum, Sportico.com, 15 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

e- entry 2 + sport entry 2

First Known Use

1999, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for esport

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