Printer-Friendly Dictionary, Encyclopedia, and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary 1,979,804,450 visitors served. Forum Mailing List For Webmasters TheFreeDictionary Google Bing ? Word / Article Starts with Ends with Text New: Language Forums Dictionary/Thesaurus Medical Dictionary Legal Dictionary Financial Dictionary Acronyms & Idioms Encyclopedia Wikipedia Encyclopedia ? Sport & Also found in: Medical, Legal, Acronyms, Idioms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.01 sec. Sport (sp?rt, sprt) n. 1. a. Physical activity governed by a set of rules or customs, often engaged in competitively. b. A particular form of this activity. 2. An activity involving physical exertion and skill, governed by a set of rules or customs, often undertaken competitively. 3. An active pastime; recreation. 4. a. Mockery; jest: He made sport of his own looks. b. An object of mockery, jest, or play: treated our interests as sport. c. A joking mood or attitude: She made the remark in sport. 5. a. One known for the manner of one’s acceptance of rules, especially of a game, or of a difficult situation: a poor sport. b. Informal One who accepts rules or difficult situations well. c. Informal A pleasant companion: was a real sport during the trip. 6. Informal a. A person who lives a jolly, extravagant life. b. A gambler at sporting events. 7. Biology An organism that shows a marked change from the normal type or parent stock, typically as a result of mutation. 8. Maine See summercater. See Regional Note at summercater. 9. Obsolete Amorous dalliance; lovemaking. v. sport·ed, sport·ing, sports v.intr. 1. To play or frolic. 2. To joke or trifle. 3. Biology To mutate. v.tr. To display or show off: "His shoes sported elevated heels" (Truman Capote). adj. or sports 1. Of, relating to, or appropriate for sports: sport fishing; sports equipment. 2. Designed or appropriate for outdoor or informal wear: a sport shirt. [Middle English sporte, short for disporte, from Old French desport, pleasure, from desporter, to divert; see disport.] sportful adj. sportfully adv. sportfulness n. sport [spɔːt] n 1. (General Sporting Terms) an individual or group activity pursued for exercise or pleasure, often involving the testing of physical capabilities and taking the form of a competitive game such as football, tennis, etc. 2. (General Sporting Terms) such activities considered collectively 3. (General Sporting Terms) any particular pastime indulged in for pleasure 4. (General Sporting Terms) the pleasure derived from a pastime, esp hunting, shooting, or fishing we had good sport today 5. playful or good-humoured joking to say a thing in sport 6. derisive mockery or the object of such mockery to make sport of someone 7. someone or something that is controlled by external influences the sport of fate 8. Informal (sometimes qualified by good, bad, etc.) a person who reacts cheerfully in the face of adversity, esp a good loser 9. Informal a person noted for being scrupulously fair and abiding by the rules of a game 10. Informal a person who leads a merry existence, esp a gambler he’s a bit of a sport 11. Austral and NZ informal a form of address used esp between males 12. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Biology) Biology a. an animal or plant that differs conspicuously in one or more aspects from other organisms of the same species, usually because of a mutation b. an anomalous characteristic of such an organism vb 1. (Clothing & Fashion) (tr) Informal to wear or display in an ostentatious or proud manner she was sporting a new hat 2. (intr) to skip about or frolic happily 3. (General Sporting Terms) to amuse (oneself), esp in outdoor physical recreation 4. (intr; often foll by with) to dally or trifle (with) 5. (tr; often foll by away) Rare to squander (time or money) sporting one’s life away 6. (intr; often foll by with) Archaic to make fun (of) 7. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Biology) (intr) Biology to produce or undergo a mutation See also sports [C15 sporten, variant of disporten to disport] sporter n sportful adj sportfully adv sportfulness n Thesaurus Legend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms Noun 1. sport - an active diversion requiring physical exertion and competition athletics offside - (sport) the mistake of occupying an illegal position on the playing field (in football, soccer, ice hockey, field hockey, etc.) wipeout - a spill in some sport (as a fall from a bicycle or while skiing or being capsized on a surfboard) toss, flip, pass - (sports) the act of throwing the ball to another member of your team; "the pass was fumbled" daisy cutter - a batted or served ball that skims along close to the ground call - (sports) the decision made by an umpire or referee; "he was ejected for protesting the call" funambulism, tightrope walking - walking on a tightrope or slack rope rock climbing - the sport or pastime of scaling rock masses on mountain sides (especially with the help of ropes and special equipment) birling, logrolling - rotating a log rapidly in the water (as a competitive sport) diversion, recreation - an activity that diverts or amuses or stimulates; "scuba diving is provided as a diversion for tourists"; "for recreation he wrote poetry and solved crossword puzzles"; "drug abuse is often regarded as a form of recreation" contact sport - a sport that necessarily involves body contact between opposing players field sport, outdoor sport - a sport that is played outdoors gymnastics, gymnastic exercise - a sport that involves exercises intended to display strength and balance and agility track and field - participating in athletic sports performed on a running track or on the field associated with it skiing - a sport in which participants must travel on skis aquatics, water sport - sports that involve bodies of water rowing, row - the act of rowing as a sport archery - the sport of shooting arrows with a bow sledding - the sport of riding on a sled or sleigh skating - the sport of gliding on skates racing - the sport of engaging in contests of speed equitation, horseback riding, riding - the sport of siting on the back of a horse while controlling its movements cycling - the sport of traveling on a bicycle or motorcycle blood sport - sport that involves killing animals (especially hunting) athletic game - a game involving athletic activity stroke, shot - (sports) the act of swinging or striking at a ball with a club or racket or bat or cue or hand; "it took two strokes to get out of the bunker"; "a good shot requires good balance and tempo"; "he left me an almost impossible shot" position - (in team sports) the role assigned to an individual player; "what position does he play?" foul - an act that violates the rules of a sport personal foul - a foul that involves unnecessarily rough contact (as in basketball or football) possession - (sport) the act of controlling the ball (or puck); "they took possession of the ball on their own goal line" judo - a sport adapted from jujitsu (using principles of not resisting) and similar to wrestling; developed in Japan spectator sport - a sport that many people find entertaining to watch team sport - a sport that involves competition between teams of players; "baseball is a team sport but golf is not" save - (sports) the act of preventing the opposition from scoring; "the goalie made a brilliant save"; "the relief pitcher got credit for a save" press box - box reserved for reporters (as at a sports event) tuck - (sports) a bodily position adopted in some sports (such as diving or skiing) in which the knees are bent and the thighs are drawn close to the chest game plan - (sports) a plan for achieving an objective in some sport won-lost record - (sports) a record of win versus losses English, side - (sports) the spin given to a ball by striking it on one side or releasing it with a sharp twist series - (sports) several contests played successively by the same teams; "the visiting team swept the series" trial - (sports) a preliminary competition to determine qualifications; "the trials for the semifinals began yesterday" defending team, defence, defense - (sports) the team that is trying to prevent the other team from scoring; "his teams are always good on defense" bench warmer - (sports) a substitute who seldom plays 2. sport - the occupation of athletes who compete for pay professional boxing - boxing for money professional wrestling - wrestling for money sumo - a Japanese form of wrestling; you lose if you are forced out of a small ring or if any part of your body (other than your feet) touches the ground professional golf - playing golf for money professional football - football played for pay professional baseball - playing baseball for money professional basketball - playing basketball for money professional tennis - playing tennis for money job, line of work, occupation, business, line - the principal activity in your life that you do to earn money; "he's not in my line of business" 3. sport - (Maine colloquial) a temporary summer resident of Maine summercatervacationer, vacationist - someone on vacation; someone who is devoting time to pleasure or relaxation rather than to work 4. sport - a person known for the way she (or he) behaves when teased or defeated or subjected to trying circumstances; "a good sport"; "a poor sport" individual, mortal, person, somebody, someone, soul - a human being; "there was too much for one person to do" 5. sport - someone who engages in sports sportsman, sportswoman athlete, jock - a person trained to compete in sports 6. sport - (biology) an organism that has characteristics resulting from chromosomal alteration mutant, mutation, variation organism, being - a living thing that has (or can develop) the ability to act or function independently biological science, biology - the science that studies living organisms freak, lusus naturae, monstrosity, monster - a person or animal that is markedly unusual or deformed 7. sport - verbal wit or mockery (often at another’s expense but not to be taken seriously); "he became a figure of fun"; "he said it in sport" fun, play humor, wit, witticism, wittiness, humour - a message whose ingenuity or verbal skill or incongruity has the power to evoke laughter jocosity, jocularity - fun characterized by humor waggery, waggishness - waggish behavior drollery, funniness, clowning, comedy - a comic incident or series of incidents paronomasia, pun, punning, wordplay - a humorous play on words; "I do it for the pun of it"; "his constant punning irritated her" Verb 1. sport - wear or display in an ostentatious or proud manner; "she was sporting a new hat" boast, feature feature, have - have as a feature; "This restaurant features the most famous chefs in France" 2. sport - play boisterously; "The children frolicked in the garden"; "the gamboling lambs in the meadows"; "The toddlers romped in the playroom" frisk, frolic, gambol, lark, lark about, rollick, romp, run around, skylark, cavort, disport play - be at play; be engaged in playful activity; amuse oneself in a way characteristic of children; "The kids were playing outside all day"; "I used to play with trucks as a little girl" sport noun 1. game, exercise, recreation, play, entertainment, amusement, diversion, pastime, physical activity I’d say football is my favourite sport. 2. fun, kidding (informal), joking, teasing, ridicule, joshing (slang, chiefly U.S. & Canad.), banter, frolic, jest, mirth, merriment, badinage, raillery Had themselves a bit of sport first, didn’t they? verb (Informal) wear, display, flaunt, boast, exhibit, flourish, show off, vaunt He was fat-faced, heavily-built and sported a red moustache. see athletic events, ballgames, boxing weights, cricket terms, equestrianism, fencing terms, football, golf terms, gymnastic events, martial arts, motor sports, rugby terms, snooker and billiards terms, tennis terms, water sports, winter sports Quotations "I’m fanatical about sport: there seems to me something almost religious about the fact that human beings can organize play, the spirit of play" [Simon Gray] "When a man wants to murder a tiger he calls it sport; when the tiger wants to murder him he calls it ferocity" [George Bernard Shaw Maxims for Revolutionists] "The flannelled fools at the wicket or the muddied oafs at the goals" [Rudyard Kipling The Islanders] "To be No. 1 in sport you have to have a narrow tunnel vision. Dedication. You want to call it selfishness, arrogance, whatever. It’s dog eat dog. There are no prisoners taken; there’s none expected" [Ian Botham] Sports Team sports American football, association football or soccer, Australian Rules or Australian Rules football, baseball, bandy, basketball, camogie, Canadian football, cricket, curling, five-a-side football, football, Gaelic football, goalball, handball, hockey, hurling or hurley, ice hockey, kabbadi, korfball, lacrosse, netball, polo, roller hockey, rounders, rugby or rugby football, rugby league, rugby union, shinty, softball, stool ball, tug-of-war, volleyball, water polo Combat sports boxing, fencing, sambo or sambo wrestling, savate, wrestling Other sports angling or fishing, archery, badminton, ballooning, billiards, boules, bowls, bullfighting, candlepins, clay pigeon shooting, cockfighting, coursing, croquet, cycling, cyclo-cross, darts, decathlon, falconry, fives, fly-fishing, fox-hunting, gliding, golf, greyhound racing, gymnastics, hang gliding, jai alai, lawn tennis, modern pentathlon, mountaineering, paddleball, parachuting, paragliding, parascending, paraskiing, pelota, pétanque, pigeon racing, pool, potholing, quoits, rackets, real tennis, rhythmic gymnastics, rock climbing, roller skating, shooting, skeet, skittles, skydiving, snooker, squash or squash rackets, table tennis, tennis, tenpin bowling, trampolining, trapshooting, triathlon, weightlifting Translations sport [spɔːt] A. N 1. (= game) → deporte m he is good at several sports → se le dan bien varios deportes the sport of kings → el deporte de los reyes, la hípica 2. (= games in general) → deporte(s) m(pl) I love sport → me encantan los deportes or el deporte to be good at sport → ser buen deportista 3. sports (= athletics meeting) → juegos mpl deportivos 4. (= hunting) → caza f to have some good sport → tener éxito en la caza, lograr unas cuantas piezas hermosas the trout here give good sport → aquí las truchas no se rinden fácilmente 5. (= fun) → juego m, diversión f to say sth in sport → decir algo en broma to make sport of sb → burlarse de algn 6. (= person) → persona f amable he’s a good sport → es buena persona, es buena gente (esp LAm) he’s a real sport → es una persona realmente buena be a sport! → ¡no seas malo! 7. (liter) (= plaything) → víctima f, juguete m 8. (Bio) → mutación f B. VI (liter) → divertirse C. VT → lucir, ostentar D. CPD sports car N → coche m deportivo sports centre, sports complex N → polideportivo m sports day N (Brit) → día m de competiciones deportivas (de un colegio) sports desk N → sección f de deportes sports editor N → jefe mf de la sección de deportes sports facilities NPL → instalaciones fpl deportivas sports ground N → campo m deportivo, centro m deportivo sports hall N = sports centre sports jacket N → chaqueta f sport, saco m sport (LAm) sports page N → página f de deportes sport(s) utility vehicle N → todoterreno m inv sports writer N → cronista mf deportivo/ sports [ˈspɔːt] n (gen) → sport m What’s your favourite sport? → Quel est ton sport préféré? to be good at sport → être sportif/ive She’s good at sport → Elle est sportive. indoor sports → sports mpl en salle outdoor sports → sports mpl de plein air (old-fashioned) (= amusement) → divertissement m to say sth in sport → dire qch pour rire (= man, boy) → chic type m (= woman, girl) → chic fille f He’s a good sport → C’est un chic type. go on, be a sport! → allez, sois sympa! sports modif [activities, event, team] → sportif/ive; [centre, club, complex, facilities] → sportif/ive; [field] → de sport; [channel, coverage,