sport

She showed up at the party sporting a bright red hat.
from sailing to snorkeling, each day we sported at a different activity offered by the beach resort

Recent Examples of sport from the Web

Trendy models might come sporting graffiti designs by name-brand artists, created as an homage to the 1970s-era trains.

— peter wayner, The Atlantic, "The New York City Subway Is Beyond Repair," 9 June 2018
The need for money among many budding college athletes and their families as well as the thirst for money among universities, coaches, sport agents and sporting goods companies drive these violations and the resulting exploitation.

— william h. noack and don kusler, star-telegram, "Pro-con: Was Condoleezza Rice right in recommending that college athletes not be paid?," 8 June 2018
Also sporting optical mechanical sensors is the new Reactor Mouse, which has better ergonomic adjustability than HP's previous gaming mouse in addition to a 16,000 DPI sensor, a quick DPI toggle, seven dedicated buttons, and an adjustable palm rest.

— valentina palladino, Ars Technica, "HP Omen 15 laptop gets Nvidia Max-Q graphics, sleeker design with slim bezels," 30 May 2018
Among the most elegant and vibrantly colored prestige garments of world history are the ikat coats of Central Asia, made with an intricate thread-dying process and notably sported by the seminomadic peoples of the region throughout the 19th century.

— ryan p. smith, Smithsonian, "How the Technicolor Ikat Designs of Central Asia Thread Into Textile History," 26 Mar. 2018
Foot Locker blew past estimates and said sales of premium shoes continue to improve, which has been a major concern for it and other sporting goods companies.

— Washington Post, "Stocks dip as oil prices and energy companies fall sharply," 25 May 2018
Fortunately, the department offers online regulations as well as free regulation books available at most tackle shops, gas stations and sporting goods stores.

— matt tunseth, Anchorage Daily News, "What to know before you go fishing in Southcentral Alaska," 25 May 2018
Additionally, since her engagement, Meghan has been sporting manicure shades similar to Mulroney’s pale pink picks.

— maria pasquini, PEOPLE.com, "Proud Friend! Meghan Markle’s Stylist BFF Shares Sweet Message with Bride on Her Wedding Day," 19 May 2018
The first breeding pair of wolves ever in California had five puppies in the spring of 2015, all of them sporting distinctive black coats.

— peter fimrite, San Francisco Chronicle, "Wolves in Northern California aren’t just loping through anymore; they’re here to stay," 9 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'sport.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of sport

Middle English, to divert, disport, short for disporten

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

See Words from the same year

sport Synonyms

sport

noun

Definition of sport

1 a : a source of diversion : recreation

b : sexual play

c (1) : physical activity engaged in for pleasure

(2) : a particular activity (such as an athletic game) so engaged in

2 a : pleasantry, jest

b : often mean-spirited jesting : mockery, derision

3 a : something tossed or driven about in or as if in play

b : laughingstock

4 a : sportsman

b : a person considered with respect to living up to the ideals of sportsmanship

a good sport

a poor sport

c : a companionable person

5 : an individual exhibiting a sudden deviation from type beyond the normal limits of individual variation usually as a result of mutation especially of somatic tissue

See sport defined for English-language learners

Examples of sport in a Sentence

She likes to play sport.
Ice-skating with friends is my favorite sport.

Recent Examples of sport from the Web

The Dubs destroyed opponents, whether from San Antonio or Sacramento, less for seed than for sport.

— lee jenkins, SI.com, "Kevin Durant and the Dagger That Foreshadowed the Broom," 12 June 2018
Carrie worked in sports marketing throughout her life.

— hartford courant, courant.com, "Carrie L. Beecher," 12 June 2018
With Westgate, Parsons acquires a unique property that benefits from its location next to two major league sports venues.

— jen fifield, azcentral, "GoDaddy founder, who 'doesn't do anything small,' buys Westgate district in Glendale," 12 June 2018
The final week of the spring sports season is upon us as baseball, softball and soccer conclude their seasons on Saturday with the state championships.

— dana sulonen, Detroit Free Press, "Michigan state baseball, softball and soccer brackets, matchups," 12 June 2018
Follow sports producer Matthew VanTryon on Twitter @MVanTryon.

— matthew vantryon, Indianapolis Star, "IU football's Dameon Willis came back with a goal: 'Let's get this thing done.'," 12 June 2018
Take for instance the latest sports video to catch social media fire.

— stefan stevenson, star-telegram, "The best viral high school baseball video brings out worst in Internet," 12 June 2018
But the technique could be more scalable than leading approaches for reconstructing sports in 3D, which require arrays of cameras around the pitch recording every angle.

— edd gent, Science | AAAS, "Watch artificial intelligence project a 3D soccer match on your kitchen table," 12 June 2018
These are the highlights of live sports events on television for Tuesday, June 12.

— stephen ruiz, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Tuesday's sports TV listings," 12 June 2018

First Known Use of sport

15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

sport Synonyms

Synonyms

fun, game, jest, play;

Antonyms

earnest;

Near Antonyms

earnestness, gravity, seriousness, soberness, sobriety, solemnity;

Synonym Discussion of sport

fun, jest, sport, game, play mean action or speech that provides amusement or arouses laughter. fun usually implies laughter or gaiety but may imply merely a lack of serious or ulterior purpose.

- played cards just for fun

jest implies lack of earnestness and may suggest a hoaxing or teasing.

- hurt by remarks said only in jest

sport applies especially to the arousing of laughter against someone.

- teasing begun in sport led to anger

game is close to sport, and often stresses mischievous or malicious fun.

- made game of their poor relations

play stresses the opposition to earnest without implying any malice or mischief.

- pretended to strangle his brother in play

Other General Sports Terms

kegler, mulligan, rappel, turkey

sport

adjective

variants: or sports

Definition of sport

: of, relating to, or suitable for sports; especially : styled in a manner suitable for casual or informal wear

sport coats

See sport defined for English-language learners

First Known Use of sport

circa 1586

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

Other General Sports Terms

kegler, mulligan, rappel, turkey

SPORT Defined for English Language Learners

sport

verb

Definition of sport for English Language Learners

: to wear (something) in a way that attracts attention
: to play in a happy and lively way

sport

noun

Definition of sport for English Language Learners

: a contest or game in which people do certain physical activities according to a specific set of rules and compete against each other
: sports in general
: a physical activity (such as hunting, fishing, running, swimming, etc.) that is done for enjoyment

sport

adjective

Definition of sport for English Language Learners

: done for enjoyment rather than as a job or for food for survival
: participating in an activity (such as hunting or fishing) for enjoyment rather than as a job or for food for survival

SPORT Defined for Kids

sport

noun \ ˈspȯrt \

Definition of sport for Students

1 : physical activity (as running or an athletic game) engaged in for pleasure or exercise

Skating is my favorite sport.

2 : a person who shows good sportsmanship

He's a sport and doesn't mind losing.

Don't be a bad sport.

3 : pastime, recreation

4 : ¹fun 3

He made sport of their embarrassment.

sport

verb

Definition of sport for Students

sported; sporting

: to wear in a way that attracts attention

He sported new sneakers.

Medical Dictionary

sport

noun \ ˈspō(ə)rt, ˈspȯ(ə)rt \

medical Definition of sport

: an individual exhibiting a sudden deviation from type beyond the normal limits of individual variation usually as a result of mutation especially of somatic tissue