sports

American

[spawrts, spohrts] / spɔrts, spoʊrts /

adjective

of or relating to a sport or sports, especially of the open-air or athletic kind.

a sports festival.
(of garments, equipment, etc.) suitable for use in open-air sports or for outdoor or informal use.

sports British

/ spɔːts /

noun

(modifier) relating to, concerned with, or used in sports

sports equipment
(modifier) relating to or similar to a sports car

sports seats
Also called: sports day. a meeting held at a school or college for competitions in various athletic events

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of sports

First recorded in 1910–15; sport + -s ³

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

This is a special World Cup edition of the Sports newsletter, a curated weekly tour of WSJ’s unique take on the sports world.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 10, 2026

The concept is one of the least futuristic that Apple has implemented in an app in some time, and in fact calls back to the distant past of the pre-Twitter, pre–Instagram Reels sports web.

From Slate • Jun. 10, 2026

Nathan Freeman, landlord of a sports bar in Bristol, said: "Everything going into the pint has gone up, to be honest with you."

From BBC • Jun. 10, 2026

Speaking of Primm’s chances of regaining its former glory, Clemetson reached back into his own past as a young sports agent for players on the L.A.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 10, 2026

“Aren’t you enjoying working with the sports teachers?”

From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023