sporting

American  

[spawr-ting, spohr-] / ˈspɔr tɪŋ, ˈspoʊr- /

adjective

1. engaging in, disposed to, or interested in open-air or athletic sports.

   a rugged, sporting man.

2. concerned with or suitable for such sports.

   sporting equipment.

3. sportsmanlike.

4. interested in or connected with sports or pursuits involving betting or gambling.

   the sporting life of Las Vegas.

5. involving or inducing the taking of risk, as in a sport.

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sporting British  

/ ˈspɔːtɪŋ /

adjective

1. (prenominal) of, relating to, or used or engaged in a sport or sports

   several sporting interests

2. relating or conforming to sportsmanship; fair

3. of, relating to, or characterized by an interest in gambling

4. willing to take a risk

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Other Word Forms

• nonsporting adjective
• nonsportingly adverb
• sportingly adverb
• unsporting adjective

Etymology

Origin of sporting

First recorded in 1590–1600; sport + -ing ²

Example Sentences

Otherwise, Las Vegas, in May, risks becoming an unregulated public-health experiment mislabeled as a sporting event.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 23, 2026

Gabriela, a 30-year-old Colombian sporting tattoos and clad like most of her fellow sufferers in a white T-shirt, summed up their plight.

From Barron's • Apr. 22, 2026

Winning the Premier League against the odds in 2015-16 was one of the greatest sporting stories of all time.

From BBC • Apr. 21, 2026

A warning: an expensive sporting event is usually a lamer one.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 20, 2026

Many of them were wearing the same shades of orange and blue as Mrs. Childers, but their grim expressions made it seem more like they were headed to a funeral than to a sporting event.

From "The Strangers" by Margaret Peterson Haddix