sportsman

American  

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

noun

plural

sportsmen

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.

---

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

---

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

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

From BBC • Dec. 8, 2025

“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

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 • Sep. 27, 2025

But the extreme sportsman was best known for his space leap.

From BBC • Jul. 17, 2025

An hour passed, and part of another, before the sweat-soaked sportsman reeled it in.

From "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote