sporting

adjective

sport·​ing ˈspȯr-tiŋ 

1

a

: of, relating to, used, or suitable for sport

especially : trained for trapping or retrieving game

sporting dogs

b

: marked by or calling for sportsmanship

c

: involving such risk as a sports contender may expect to take or encounter

a sporting chance

2

: of or relating to dissipation and especially gambling

3

: tending to mutate freely

sportingly adverb

Examples of sporting in a Sentence

It wasn't very sporting of you to trip him.

Recent Examples on the Web

Currently, 212 breeds and varieties are recognized by the American Kennel Club which are divided into seven groups (sporting, hound, working, terrier, toy, non-sporting, herding). —Jalen Williams, Detroit Free Press, 24 Dec. 2024

Known for its boozy, celebrity-stuffed broadcast, the Globes long ranked as one of the most-watched non-sporting live programs of the year. —Time, 12 Dec. 2022

These are lessons often lost on commercial, non-sporting, organizations who all too often focus on the transaction, rather than the total experience. —Bill Fischer, Forbes, 10 Oct. 2022

Non-sporting breeds were judged including the chow chows!! —Alexandra Schonfeld, PEOPLE.com, 22 June 2022

Word History

First Known Use

1713, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing sporting

• sporting house

Rhymes for sporting

• courting
• porting
• shorting
• snorting
• sorting
• thwarting
• aborting
• assorting
• cavorting
• consorting
• deporting
• distorting

Kids Definition

sporting

adjective

sport·​ing ˈspōrt-iŋ 

ˈspȯrt-

1

: of, relating to, or suitable for sport

sporting events

sporting dogs

2

: involving about as much risk as a sports competitor would expect to take

a sporting chance