blood sport

noun

1
: a sport or contest (such as hunting or cockfighting) involving bloodshed
2
: a ruthless or cutthroat competition or conflict
… the blood sport that is political blogging.Massimo Calabresi

Examples of blood sport in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The blood sport can be highly lucrative for owners and for spectators who may wager thousands on a match. Zoe Sottile, CNN, 6 Apr. 2024 As if to drive home that tennis is a blood sport, Sinner took his trophy to the Colosseum and posed for photos on the floor of the amphitheater, foisting the cup in the air. Abby Aguirre, Vogue, 4 Apr. 2024 In the 1990s, however, Harvey Weinstein turned the pursuit into a blood sport. The New York Times Brooks Barnes, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2024 After a period of hand-wringing, there will be little or no change and the public will be able to continue to watch this blood sport that can physically affect youth from Pop Warner on. Los Angeles Times, 7 Jan. 2023 In a matter of seconds, the spectacle turned to blood sport. Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 30 Mar. 2023 That’s just the blood sport. Lisa Song, ProPublica, 5 July 2022 Word choice becomes a literary blood sport. Theodore Gioia, The New Republic, 16 Dec. 2020 Politics is blood sport, never moreso than today. Paul Daugherty, Cincinnati.com, 3 June 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'blood sport.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1886, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of blood sport was in 1886

Dictionary Entries Near blood sport

Cite this Entry

“Blood sport.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/blood%20sport. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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