esports

American  

[ee-spawrts] / ˈiˌspɔrts /

Or e-sports

noun

1. (usually used with a plural verb) competitive tournaments of video games, especially among professional gamers.

2. (used with a singular verb) esport, a video game suited to or popular in this kind of tournament.

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adjective

1. of or relating to esports.

   an esports event;

   esports gambling.

Etymology

Origin of esports

First recorded in 1995–2000; e- ² (electronic) + sports

Example Sentences

After DeepMind’s AlphaGo computer program defeated world champion Lee Sedol in 2016, the lab set its sights on the game “StarCraft II” — widely deemed one of the hardest esports ever.

From MarketWatch • May 23, 2026

“I felt like I was on stage in a normal esports event. You could really feel the electricity and how tense it was being up there.”

From The Wall Street Journal • May 13, 2026

In this race, a team of esports athletes stare forward at a screen instead of the starting line.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 20, 2026

Elz is not the first female host of the Bafta Games Awards - esports presenter Frankie Ward, and TV presenter Elle Osili-Wood have also fronted the ceremony.

From BBC • Mar. 26, 2026

"We're stepping things up a lot for 2026 with China coming aboard," said Francois-Xavier Deniele, head of marketing and esports for the franchise.

From Barron's • Feb. 13, 2026