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 are a sports organization. We understand politics and we know we don’t operate in a vacuum,” she said.

From Los Angeles Times

The sports psychologist they saw, together and individually, pointed out that they obviously cared about each other.

From The Wall Street Journal

Canada’s heel turn has come in curling, of all sports.

From The Wall Street Journal

In other sports we are having an extended conversation about Olympic pressure, and whether there’s something about Games which causes even the best to unravel at the worst possible time.

From The Wall Street Journal

With obscure sports, fewer events and far more clothing, the Winter Olympics have always been weird.

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023