sportsman

American  

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

noun

• sportsmen
  plural

1. a man who engages in 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, 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

Derived Forms

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

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• sportsmen
  plural

Etymology

Origin of sportsman

First recorded in 1700–10; sports + -man

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sportsman sportsmen

It's a far cry from the image of a dynamic sportsman and action hero which he once hoped would define him.

From BBC ● May 30, 2026

This week, US President Donald Trump warned Taiwan against declaring independence, the death toll from the outbreak of Ebola in DR Congo continued to rise, and Sir David Beckham became the UK's first billionaire sportsman.

From BBC ● May 21, 2026

Former Manchester United and England star David Beckham has become Britain's first billionaire sportsman, according to the 2026 Sunday Times Rich List.

From Barron's ● May 15, 2026

“A lot of people paint me as a moderate because I’m a sportsman and I have a deer rifle and I go duck hunting and stuff like that.”

From Salon ● Oct. 6, 2025

I know you to be a sportsman and a gentleman, and I am looking forward to some exciting chess games with you.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

And somewhere in that crowd will be a youngster attending their first fight, watching two of Britain's most recognisable sportsmen walk out and perhaps deciding they want to lace up a pair of gloves themselves.

From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026

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 ● Feb. 12, 2026

A total of 19 presenters, actors, singers, comedians and sportsmen will attempt to be good traitors and faithfuls in the show, which will air this autumn.

From BBC ● May 13, 2025

This catapulted the Boom writers onto the world stage, transforming them into household names throughout Latin America, “like film or pop stars, sportsmen or politicians.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 13, 2025

The blocks were dean—for the sportsmen of those days considered that, if you went in for blood sports, it was your duty to conceal the beastliness with scrupulous care.

From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White