sportsman

[spawrts-muh n, spohrts-]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR sportsman ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural sports·men.

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

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

Origin of sportsman

First recorded in 1700–10; sports + -man

Related formssports·man·like, sports·man·ly, adjectivesports·man·li·ness, nounun·sports·man·like, adjectiveun·sports·man·ly, adjective, adverb

Usage note

See -man.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for sportsmanlike

clean, fair, forthright, good, honest, honorable, sincere, sporting

Examples from the Web for sportsmanlike

Historical Examples of sportsmanlike

All right and sportsmanlike,' said his lordship, with a knowing wink, and walked on.
Arthur O'Leary
Charles James Lever
But the methods of the sportsmanlike criminal of our day are very different.
Masterpieces of Mystery In Four Volumes
Various
Let all that you secure be done according to rule, and in a sportsmanlike manner.
Dog Breaking
William Nelson Hutchinson
Now the German, as has recently been shown, is neither dramatic nor sportsmanlike.
Speaking of Prussians
Irvin S. Cobb
The Texas men were not over-popular in Arizona, and yet it was a sportsmanlike crowd.
Wisconsin in Story and Song;
Various

British Dictionary definitions for sportsmanlike

sportsman

noun plural -men

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

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

Derived Formssportsman-like or sportsmanly, adjectivesportsmanship, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for sportsmanlike

sportsman

1706, from sports + man (n.).