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.

“We cannot speak about an apocalypse,” Italian sports daily La Gazzetta dello Sport wrote on Tuesday night, recycling a word used for the failure of 2018.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

Great comedies, great dramas, a deep library and a solid sports lineup.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 31, 2026

There’s a 12-ticket maximum for each fan across all sports and sessions, plus 12 tickets for soccer sessions that don’t count toward the general maximum.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2026

It’s also the exact outcome sports betting firms hope to see.

From Barron's • Mar. 30, 2026

When Mom and Dad first separated, we were supposed to stay at Dad’s one night every weekend, but then Celia got too busy with high school sports and friends.

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