sport

verb \ ˈspȯrt \

Definition of sport

intransitive verb

1 a :to amuse oneself :frolic

lambs sporting in the meadow

b :to engage in a sport

2 a :to mock or ridicule something

b :to speak or act in jest :trifle

[²sport]

:to deviate or vary abruptly from type (as by bud variation) :mutate

transitive verb

1 :to display or wear usually ostentatiously :boast

sporting expensive new shoes

[²sport]

:to put forth as a sport or bud variation

See sport defined for English-language learners

See sport defined for kids

Examples of sport in a Sentence

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

Sporting goods retailers continue to tumble after a weak earnings forecast from Finish Line.

— marley jay, The Seattle Times, "US stocks join global losses after North Korea missile test," 29 Aug. 2017
Arena added the pair of Sporting KC players to his 26-man roster for two World Cup qualifying matches over the next 10 days.

— sam mcdowell, kansascity, "Matt Besler, Graham Zusi to join U.S. national team for World Cup qualifiers," 27 Aug. 2017
Craig, whose Joe Bang sports a peroxide-blonde crew-cut that accentuates his ice-blue eyes, is the closest Logan Lucky comes to having a wild card.

— david sims, The Atlantic, "Logan Lucky Is a Welcome Return to Movies for Steven Soderbergh," 17 Aug. 2017
The jumbotron that towers over the right centerfield wall featured an animated crab sporting an Aberdeen cap while clutching a wooden mallet with the state flag waiving in the background.

— chris jeter, The Aegis, "Steamed Crabs for a night, Aberdeen IronBirds unable to hold off West Virginia," 12 Aug. 2017
Fashionably stubbled and sporting a crisp white shirt and jeans, the Pakistani designer gestures towards the racks of sumptuous dresses in his Karachi showroom to make his point.

— The Economist, "The elephant in its labyrinthIn the race with its tricky neighbour, India has recently been winning," 22 July 2017
The team is a business and sporting institution that, through decades of legal battles over the use of their name and logos, has claimed and litigated for the freedom to continue using that racially disparaging term.

— kevin gover, Smithsonian, "The Washington Football Team Can Legally Keep Its Racist Name. But It Shouldn’t," 13 July 2017
Sporting clay facilities, hunt clubs (open to the public), and paid hunts are a great way to learn.

— erin shaw street, Southern Living, "What I Learned On My First Dove Hunt," 11 July 2017
The chase began shortly after someone called 911 to report what appeared to be a fight in the parking lot of Berry’s Sporting Goods on Broadway.

— lyndsay winkley, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Teens lead deputies on chase, plow into tree," 10 July 2017

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

See Words from the same year

sport Synonyms

Synonyms

dally, disport, frolic, recreate, rollick, skylark, play, toy

Related Words

cavort, frisk, gambol, romp; dabble, trifle; amuse, divert, entertain; delight, please; dabble, fiddle (around), mess around, putter (around); bum (around), dawdle, goldbrick, hang, hang about [British], idle, loaf, lounge (around or about), relax, rest, screw around, slack (off); jest, joke, tease

Near Antonyms

drudge, labor, plod, plug (away), slave, strain, strive, struggle, sweat, toil, work

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 long-term plan at the sport’s most important position is, too.

— dave campbell, The Seattle Times, "A year later, Vikings’ Bridgewater still working way back," 30 Aug. 2017
The Newcastle United owner transferred the money in May 2008 to be held in a Cyprus trust controlled by Jimenez which then would be invested into the golf course, described as the Augusta of Europe by the sports media.

— jeremy hodges, Bloomberg.com, "Ashley’s Latest Lawsuit Moves From the Pub to the Golf Course," 30 Aug. 2017
Organizers are asking for bottled water, bleach, Clorox wipes, sports drinks and diapers.

— steve zimmerman, Daily Southtown, "Orland-area students getting an education in how to help," 30 Aug. 2017
Fred was born the son of a socialist MP [and] became world tennis champion at the time when tennis was an elitist sport.

— jared michael lowe, Teen Vogue, "How Polo Shirts Became a White Supremacist Uniform," 29 Aug. 2017
But the likes of WGN (Tribune, soon Sinclair), WLS (ABC), WMAQ (NBC) and WBBM (CBS) in Chicago included a far greater variety of mostly local stories, sports, traffic and weather.

— The Hive, "How Silicon Valley Has Changed Hurricane Coverage," 28 Aug. 2017
The hotel is clearly catering to millennials, with its enormous non-gambling play space of indoor/outdoor bocce ball courts, ping pong, darts, shuffle board, skee-ball, and a gigantic sports bar.

— heather platt, Los Angeles Magazine, "Reno: It’s Not Just The Place You Ignore While Skiing in Tahoe Anymore," 28 Aug. 2017
Before the Hurricane Bring in lawn furniture and ornaments, umbrellas, bird feeders, toys and loose sports equipment.

— roy berendsohn, Popular Mechanics, "The Homeowner's Last-Minute Hurricane Prep Checklist," 25 Aug. 2017
But how does somebody who doesn't know anything about sports sound knowledgeable in casual conversation?

— alex french, Esquire, "Bob Costas's Guide to BS'ing Your Way Through a Sports Conversation," 24 Aug. 2017

First Known Use of sport

15th century

sport Synonyms

Synonyms

dalliance, frolic, frolicking, fun, fun and games, recreation, relaxation, rollicking, play

Antonyms

earnest

Near Antonyms

drudgery, labor, work; duty, obligation, responsibility

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

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