sportsman

American  

[spawrts-muhn, spohrts-] / ˈspɔrts mən, ˈspoʊrts- /

noun

plural

sportsmen

1. a man who engages in sports, sports, especially in some open-air sport, as hunting, fishing, racing, etc.

2. a person who exhibits qualities especially esteemed in those who engage in sports, sports, as fairness, courtesy, good temper, etc.

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sportsman British  

/ ˈspɔːtsmən /

noun

1. a man who takes part in sports, esp of the outdoor type

2. a person who exhibits qualities highly regarded in sport, such as fairness, generosity, observance of the rules, and good humour when losing

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Gender

See -man.

Other Word Forms

• sportsman-like adjective
• sportsmanlike adjective
• sportsmanliness noun
• sportsmanly adjective
• sportsmanship noun
• unsportsmanlike adjective
• unsportsmanly adjective

Etymology

Origin of sportsman

First recorded in 1700–10; sports + -man

Example Sentences

To qualify for one of the jobs set aside for sportsmen and women, she needs to keep playing at state level or better until after she finishes university.

From BBC

Heraskevych insisted he would continue to wear the helmet, which carries pictures of Ukrainian sportsmen and women killed since Russian forces invaded Ukraine in 2022, during the men's skeleton heats on Thursday.

From Barron's

Heraskevych insisted on Tuesday that he would wear the helmet, which carries pictures of Ukrainian sportsmen and women killed since Russian forces invaded in 2022, during the men's skeleton heats on Thursday.

From Barron's

But becoming an elite sportsman still means starting learning your trade at a very young age, and a lot of personal sacrifices.

From BBC

Uganda’s Idi Amin tried to use boxing and his image as a sportsman to build popularity and distract from his regime’s repression in the 1970s.

From The Wall Street Journal