sports drink

noun

: a drink that consists mainly of water, electrolytes (such as sodium or potassium), and carbohydrates (such as sucrose or fructose) and that is designed to replenish those substances in the body during or after usually strenuous exercise

"Dan was with me the whole day," Huard said after the game, while sipping a sports drink to combat dehydration.

—Peter King

Sports drinks such as Gatorade or Powerade should generally be avoided in favor of water unless you're doing an intense workout. That's because some sports drinks contain more than 30 grams of added sugar …, and you may not need its carb- and electrolyte-heavy fuel if you're just going for a 45-minute easy ride.

—Danielle Zickl

Examples of sports drink in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

That could mean struggling for the last of a certain flavor of sports drink or withholding access to a doctor. — Los Angeles Times, 3 Aug. 2026

How Milk Supports Muscle Recovery A 2016 study funded by the National Dairy Council in Ireland found that low-fat milk rehydrated athletes more effectively than water or sports drinks. — Stephanie Brown, Verywell Health, 31 July 2026

Perry recommends using over-the-counter pediatric formulas, which offer a more effective salt-to-sugar ratio than commercial sports drinks. — Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 17 July 2026

Cow’s Milk Cow’s milk can be a great natural alternative to sports drinks. — Emmanuella Ogbonna, Health, 8 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1967, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for sports drink

• bethink
• downlink
• groupthink
• hoodwink
• rethink
• uplink
• blink
• brink
• chink
• cinque
• clink
• dink