making sport of

phrase

present participle of make sport of
as in ridiculing
to make (someone or something) the object of unkind laughter The commentator often makes sport of the fashion choices of the famous.

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for making sport of
  1. making fun of
  2. poking fun at
Phrase
  • Farrar’s tweet, Phillips said, plays off the dynamic of liberals getting up in arms, and people then making fun of liberals for getting up in arms.
    — David Mack, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2026
  • According to the co-hosts, the best thing about awards shows is making fun of people in the room, so there will be plenty of jokes at the expense of Black and Stewart’s celebrity friends.
    — Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of making fun of
Phrase
  • The speech is a stark example of a broader tone shift by Carney, who in recent months appears to have become more comfortable poking fun at the US leader.
    — Lex Harvey, CNN Money, 23 Sep. 2026
  • After poking fun at the 37-year-old, Bedard gushed at the chance to take the ice with Kane.
    — Kalen Lumpkins, Chicago Tribune, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of poking fun at
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

making shift
making sport of
making the grade
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Making sport of.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/making%20sport%20of. Accessed 7 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of discreet

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
name tags
Words Named After People Quiz Find out who’s behind "leotard," "morphine," an...
See All