spectator sport
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of spectator sport
First recorded in 1940–45
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.
As directors Hernandez and Lazarte seem well aware, there’s a reason the PBA doesn’t operate the largest spectator sport in the country.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 12, 2026
Americans began to hold their own by the 1920s, and professional golf has increased in popularity as a spectator sport to this day.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 29, 2025
For the last three decades, badminton has been a competitive Olympic sport, and with "bird" speeds topping 300 mph in "smash" shots, it certainly makes for exciting spectator sport.
From Science Daily • Jan. 9, 2024
Entrance is free — you only pay to surf — which turns even your intro lesson into a spectator sport.
From Seattle Times • Jul. 28, 2023
I wondered if I should have brought along my boyfriend to make the experience feel more real or important, but I hadn't expected it to be a spectator sport.
From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.