1
as in ridicules
the making of unkind jokes as a way of showing one's scorn for someone or something
taught their children that it was not polite to make sport of others
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in jokes
a person or thing that is made fun of
had become the long-suffering sport of the village
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in plays
to engage in activity for amusement
from sailing to snorkeling, each day we sported at a different activity offered by the beach resort
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in dances
to play and run about happily
the millionaire's grandchildren sporting on the estate's spacious grounds
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in displays
to present so as to invite notice or attention
sported his flashy new car by driving it all over town
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sports
Lee Ying Shan,sydney Goh, CNBC, 16 Feb. 2026
At the Olympic media summit in October, a collection of athletes from across the sports spectrum took turns sitting at small daises to field questions from reporters on hand.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 16 Feb. 2026
The publication has doubled its presence the last year in the US, covering national politics, media, sports, and other beats.
—Max Tani, semafor.com, 16 Feb. 2026
Support our high school sports coverage by becoming a digital subscriber.
—Ocvarsity Sports Staff, Oc Register, 15 Feb. 2026
In recent years Campbell has been a civic and political activist, a columnist, and has promoted and coached sports programs for underserved youth.
—Anthony Man, Sun Sentinel, 15 Feb. 2026
The weekly programs include a traditional lineup of varsity sports camps, along with artistic programs such as dance and video production.
—Susan Soldavin, Baltimore Sun, 15 Feb. 2026
The competition will include 16 disciplines across eight sports.
—Katey Psencik, Austin American Statesman, 15 Feb. 2026
Luge is the most dangerous of the three sliding sports (bobsled and skeleton are the others) — ironic because athletes in that event actually have the most control.
—Lindsay Schnell, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2026
Tori Latham, Robb Report, 16 Feb. 2026
Delaney, who went to both DeLand and Deltona high schools in his youth, and was also chosen as as an astronaut in 2021, sports a full beard and mustache.
—Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 10 Feb. 2026
Next, there’s the AWD trim, which sports a second 215-hp motor at the front, resulting in a total output of 577 horsepower.
—New Atlas, 10 Feb. 2026
Twiggy, who attended the brand’s spring 2026 show last September at the giant tent set up at Kensington Palace Gardens, sports a leather trenchcoat with fringe in the campaign, while Wigram dons a brown paisley laser-cut suede trenchcoat with whipstitching detail.
—Tianwei Zhang, Footwear News, 3 Feb. 2026
New England sports a talented-but-young offensive line that has struggled in the postseason.
—Jacob Camenker, USA Today, 1 Feb. 2026
Gore, a 2025 All-Star, joins a Texas rotation that already sports two aces right at the top in Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi.
—Sportsday Staff, Dallas Morning News, 29 Jan. 2026
Lady Beckham, whose title is courtesy of the British investiture of her husband by King Charles II, now sports the French honor all on her own.
—Guy Martin, Forbes.com, 28 Jan. 2026
OpenAI now sports a $500 billion valuation, and completed a recapitalization in October that cemented its future as a for-profit business under the umbrella of a nonprofit.
—Ashley Capoot, CNBC, 27 Jan. 2026
Noun
Nearly 2,900 athletes from more than 90 national Olympic committees are competing at the Winter Games across 116 medal events across eight sports.
—Lee Ying Shan,sydney Goh, CNBC, 16 Feb. 2026
At the Olympic media summit in October, a collection of athletes from across the sports spectrum took turns sitting at small daises to field questions from reporters on hand.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 16 Feb. 2026
The publication has doubled its presence the last year in the US, covering national politics, media, sports, and other beats.
—Max Tani, semafor.com, 16 Feb. 2026
Support our high school sports coverage by becoming a digital subscriber.
—Ocvarsity Sports Staff, Oc Register, 15 Feb. 2026
In recent years Campbell has been a civic and political activist, a columnist, and has promoted and coached sports programs for underserved youth.
—Anthony Man, Sun Sentinel, 15 Feb. 2026
The weekly programs include a traditional lineup of varsity sports camps, along with artistic programs such as dance and video production.
—Susan Soldavin, Baltimore Sun, 15 Feb. 2026
The competition will include 16 disciplines across eight sports.
—Katey Psencik, Austin American Statesman, 15 Feb. 2026
Luge is the most dangerous of the three sliding sports (bobsled and skeleton are the others) — ironic because athletes in that event actually have the most control.
—Lindsay Schnell, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2026
Verb
Dubbed Blue Palms, the chic villa sports an aquamarine waterfall fountain out front and an ocean-facing infinity pool out back.
—Tori Latham, Robb Report, 16 Feb. 2026
Delaney, who went to both DeLand and Deltona high schools in his youth, and was also chosen as as an astronaut in 2021, sports a full beard and mustache.
—Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 10 Feb. 2026
Next, there’s the AWD trim, which sports a second 215-hp motor at the front, resulting in a total output of 577 horsepower.
—New Atlas, 10 Feb. 2026
Twiggy, who attended the brand’s spring 2026 show last September at the giant tent set up at Kensington Palace Gardens, sports a leather trenchcoat with fringe in the campaign, while Wigram dons a brown paisley laser-cut suede trenchcoat with whipstitching detail.
—Tianwei Zhang, Footwear News, 3 Feb. 2026
New England sports a talented-but-young offensive line that has struggled in the postseason.
—Jacob Camenker, USA Today, 1 Feb. 2026
Gore, a 2025 All-Star, joins a Texas rotation that already sports two aces right at the top in Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi.
—Sportsday Staff, Dallas Morning News, 29 Jan. 2026
Lady Beckham, whose title is courtesy of the British investiture of her husband by King Charles II, now sports the French honor all on her own.
—Guy Martin, Forbes.com, 28 Jan. 2026
OpenAI now sports a $500 billion valuation, and completed a recapitalization in October that cemented its future as a for-profit business under the umbrella of a nonprofit.
—Ashley Capoot, CNBC, 27 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sports
Noun
-
Pranks have turned into memes and other visual online jokes that barely involve active communication.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
17 Feb. 2026
-
But Morgan isn’t one to spoil any specific jokes or Easter eggs.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Because all 12 vertebrae of your thoracic spine (middle segment) connect to your rib cage, rib mobility plays a central role in how your spine moves and how forces are managed through your back.—
Dana Santas,
CNN Money,
15 Feb. 2026
-
Besides being crucial for winter sports events, snow plays many other important roles, said David Robinson, New Jersey State Climatologist and a distinguished professor in the Rutgers University geography department.—
Dinah Voyles Pulver,
USA Today,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Now, Josie dances this crazy explosion in front of her.—
Marta Balaga,
Variety,
16 Feb. 2026
-
Far less persuasive are the uses of spontaneous modern dance sequences, whether in the flashback montages, or when Josie suddenly dances forcefully first to spite her mother whilst arguing in her studio, and later in a reconciliation scene.—
David Katz,
IndieWire,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The Museum of Measurement and Time displays surveying tools and maps dating back to the 1700s, and is open for limited hours on Thursdays through Saturdays.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
16 Feb. 2026
-
The Ukrainian Olympic athlete Vladislav Heraskevych displays the memorial helmet that resulted in his ban.—
Alan Taylor,
The Atlantic,
12 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
This performance leap, which exceeds earlier targets comes, as drones face growing demands across industrial, defense, and emergency-response markets.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
19 Feb. 2026
-
But when pressed Thursday about the timing, funding and targets of the trip, officials offered few answers, ending the news conference without taking questions from reporters.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Water for Elephants is a show about a man who loses everything, then hops on a train that's attached to a traveling circus.—
Laura Phillips,
CBS News,
14 Feb. 2026
-
Esty Shapiro, a 19-year-old woman from a Hasidic Jewish sect in Brooklyn, pockets a secret wad of cash, picks up a passport, and hops on a plane to Berlin, all set to the tense soundtrack of a thriller.—
Stephanie Bai,
The Atlantic,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Donnelly Park will also play host to border collie and Highland cow exhibits on Saturday.—
Patrick Connolly,
The Orlando Sentinel,
19 Feb. 2026
-
But Schanelec also exhibits a talent for depicting fading romance, doing it in an elusively deadpan way that at times recalls the work of Eric Rohmer.—
Jordan Mintzer,
HollywoodReporter,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Family members of the shooting victims cried as the sentence was handed down.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
14 Feb. 2026
-
Nelson, one of the shooting victims, who was in the passenger seat of the van, fired twice in self-defense before the truck drove away, according to the lawsuit filed by the family against the Police Department.—
Ben Wheeler,
Kansas City Star,
13 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sports.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sports. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
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