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

Others have sought compromise, like the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society, sponsor of the popular Bassmaster fishing tournaments, and Major League Fishing, the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, with more than 200 annual events.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 5, 2026

The Sportsman Inn stopped serving food after the Covid lockdowns because it was “difficult to make any margin on”.

From BBC • Oct. 19, 2024

Other details about International Sportsman included that it allegedly featured “top named entertainment and sports personalities co-hosting with his wife of 22 years Candace Garvey.”

From Slate • May 29, 2024

In 1999 he was named Sportsman of the Century by Sports Illustrated and Sports Personality of the Century by the BBC.

From Washington Times • May 10, 2023

Impressed by George’s perseverance, and by his ability on the water, Aaron Pocock entered him in a professional race, the Sportsman Handicap, at Putney on the Thames, when he was seventeen.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown