sport
- an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature, as racing, baseball, tennis, golf, bowling, wrestling, boxing, hunting, fishing, etc.
- a particular form of this, especially in the out of doors.
- sports, (used with a singular verb) such athletic activities collectively: Sports is important in my life.
- diversion; recreation; pleasant pastime.
- jest; fun; mirth; pleasantry: What he said in sport was taken seriously.
- mockery; ridicule; derision: They made sport of him.
- an object of derision; laughingstock.
- something treated lightly or tossed about like a plaything.
- something or someone subject to the whims or vicissitudes of fate, circumstances, etc.
- a sportsman.
- Informal. a person who behaves in a sportsmanlike, fair, or admirable manner; an accommodating person: He was a sport and took his defeat well.
- Informal. a person who is interested in sports as an occasion for gambling; gambler.
- Informal. a flashy person; one who wears showy clothes, affects smart manners, pursues pleasurable pastimes, or the like; a bon vivant.
- Biology. an organism or part that shows an unusual or singular deviation from the normal or parent type; mutation.
- Obsolete. amorous dalliance.
- of, relating to, or used in sports or a particular sport:sport fishing.
- suitable for outdoor or informal wear: sport clothes.
- to amuse oneself with some pleasant pastime or recreation.
- to play, frolic, or gambol, as a child or an animal.
- to engage in some open-air or athletic pastime or sport.
- to trifle or treat lightly: to sport with another's emotions.
- to mock, scoff, or tease: to sport at suburban life.
- Botany. to mutate.
- to pass (time) in amusement or sport.
- to spend or squander lightly or recklessly (often followed by away).
- Informal. to wear, display, carry, etc., especially with ostentation; show off: to sport a new mink coat.
- Archaic. to amuse (especially oneself).
- sport one's oak. oak(def 5).
Origin of sport
Synonyms for sport
See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.comRelated Words for sport
fun, athletics, pastime, game, don, play, recreation, ball, picnic, disport, gaiety, diversion, exercise, action, pleasure, frolic, amusement, games, teasing, nonsenseExamples from the Web for sport
Contemporary Examples of sport
Cricket is a sport enjoyed by hundreds of millions around the globe, mainly in former British colonies.
When he reaches a low point in his career, in 1997, he writes that he “even contemplated moving away from the sport completely.”
Sachin Tendulkar may be one of the most brilliant players in the sport, but he struggles to liven up his memoirs.
The sport of surfing is a very sexy sport, beautiful people on beautiful beaches in minimal clothing.
Like I said, as a team we drew attention to the sport in a way no one ever has.
Historical Examples of sport
I never saw a girl of her age bid fairer to be the sport of mankind.
Lady SusanJane Austen
If you are really out just for sport and curiosity, I'm sorry for you.
The Leopard WomanStewart Edward White
My brother Digby has no sport in him, and he is much bigger than me, besides.
In the ValleyHarold Frederic
He had fished all his life—had Good Indian—and had found joy in the sport.
Good IndianB. M. Bower
But this ordeal combat was far removed from the domain of sport.
English VillagesP. H. Ditchfield
sport
- an individual or group activity pursued for exercise or pleasure, often involving the testing of physical capabilities and taking the form of a competitive game such as football, tennis, etc
- such activities considered collectively
- any particular pastime indulged in for pleasure
- the pleasure derived from a pastime, esp hunting, shooting, or fishingwe had good sport today
- playful or good-humoured jokingto say a thing in sport
- derisive mockery or the object of such mockeryto make sport of someone
- someone or something that is controlled by external influencesthe sport of fate
- informal (sometimes qualified by good, bad, etc) a person who reacts cheerfully in the face of adversity, esp a good loser
- informal a person noted for being scrupulously fair and abiding by the rules of a game
- informal a person who leads a merry existence, esp a gamblerhe's a bit of a sport
- Australian and NZ informal a form of address used esp between males
- biology
- an animal or plant that differs conspicuously in one or more aspects from other organisms of the same species, usually because of a mutation
- an anomalous characteristic of such an organism
- (tr) informal to wear or display in an ostentatious or proud mannershe was sporting a new hat
- (intr) to skip about or frolic happily
- to amuse (oneself), esp in outdoor physical recreation
- (intr often foll by with) to dally or trifle (with)
- (tr often foll by away) rare to squander (time or money)sporting one's life away
- (intr often foll by with) archaic to make fun (of)
- (intr) biology to produce or undergo a mutation
Word Origin for sport
Word Origin and History for sport
c.1400, "to take pleasure, to amuse oneself," from Anglo-French disport, Old French desport "pastime, recreation, pleasure," from desporter "to divert, amuse, please, play" (see disport). Sense of "to amuse oneself by active exercise in open air or taking part in some game" is from late 15c. Meaning "to wear" is from 1778. Related: Sported; sporting.
mid-15c., "pleasant pastime," from sport (v.). Meaning "game involving physical exercise" first recorded 1520s. Original sense preserved in phrases such as in sport "in jest" (mid-15c.). Sense of "stylish man" is from 1861, American English, probably because they lived by gambling and betting on races. Meaning "good fellow" is attested from 1881 (e.g. be a sport, 1913). Sport as a familiar form of address to a man is from 1935, Australian English. The sport of kings was originally (1660s) war-making.