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

Switch to a sports drink rather than plain water after the first hour to replace both fluid and electrolytes. —Cynthia Sass, Health, 23 June 2025

Some sports drinks or rehydration fluids restore electrolytes and hydration levels. —Brian Bossak, The Conversation, 19 June 2025

The increase continues for each additional drink, researchers said, and includes things like soft drinks and energy drinks as well as common sports drinks. —Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 3 June 2025

Drink an additional 7–10 ounces of water or a sports drink 10 to 20 minutes before exercise. —Brittany Lubeck, Verywell Health, 6 May 2025

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