Synonyms

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.

"You can still reach WSL football and still play professional sports, do a lot of normal stuff, so it doesn't need to impact your whole life."

From BBC

Title IX – a landmark piece of legislation – stipulates that all educational institutions in the United States spend equal amounts on women's sports provision as they do on men's.

From BBC

Interest in regulating the booming asset class has spread across the aisle in Congress amid concerns over prediction-market insider trading and sports markets that sidestep state gambling regulations.

From Barron's

The theme-park development follows earlier investments in luxurious beach resorts, state-of-the-art museums and vast sports facilities.

From The Wall Street Journal

“Now, we are known as the sports and entertainment capital of the western United States.”

From Los Angeles Times

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