blood sport

American  

noun

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

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blood sport British  

noun

1. any sport involving the killing of an animal, esp hunting

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Etymology

Origin of blood sport

First recorded in 1890–95

Example Sentences

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

"Amanda's an awful woman, of course," he said, "a backstabbing snob who treats her children as accessories and turns every encounter with her 'mum chums' at the school gates into a blood sport."

From BBC • Feb. 6, 2025

Especially online, where pop fan allegiance can be a blood sport, the matchup became one to watch.

From New York Times • May 23, 2024

It’s blood sport, but it’s also a dance — a performance that unfolds before our eyes.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 5, 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