blood sport

American

noun

any sport involving killing or the shedding of blood, as bullfighting, cockfighting, or hunting.

blood sport British

noun

any sport involving the killing of an animal, esp hunting

"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 blood sport

First recorded in 1890–95

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.

I, and many other young fans, had little interest in boxing, Mike Tyson or, really, any sort of blood sport.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 27, 2026

"It's a blood sport, people do have a blood thirst to watch this sport," Malignaggi says.

From BBC • Feb. 20, 2026

Backstory: Steven Spielberg’s World War II epic “Saving Private Ryan” was considered the favorite, but Miramax co-founder Harvey Weinstein, known for turning awards campaigns into a blood sport, had other plans.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 20, 2025

The Roy family has made a blood sport out of criticizing each other, and Roman certainly gets his barbs in.

From Salon • Mar. 28, 2023

Everything about the Bronx was different from downtown Manhattan, more intense and potent; even the name of the street we walked down—Gun Hill Road—suggested blood sport.

From "The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates" by Wes Moore

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