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.

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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

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

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

"That is what it is to play against Rafa in Spain. He is probably the biggest sportsman in Spain to have ever lived."

From BBC • Nov. 19, 2024

This is bound to get me a bad name as a sportsman, but let me say at once that I have nothing against the killing of animals.

From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck