sports

American

[spawrts, spohrts] / spɔrts, spoʊrts /

adjective

of or relating to a sport or sports, especially of the open-air or athletic kind.

a sports festival.
(of garments, equipment, etc.) suitable for use in open-air sports or for outdoor or informal use.

sports British

/ spɔːts /

noun

(modifier) relating to, concerned with, or used in sports

sports equipment
(modifier) relating to or similar to a sports car

sports seats
Also called: sports day. a meeting held at a school or college for competitions in various athletic events

"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

Etymology

Origin of sports

First recorded in 1910–15; sport + -s ³

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Still, other foreign sports brands haven’t suffered as big a sales blow in China as Nike has.

From The Wall Street Journal

Dimon said that if the investment bank does start to offer prediction market services, it won’t be going into sports or politics.

From MarketWatch

Then on Friday, it was announced that FanDuel, which is both a betting platform and a sports network specializing in horse racing, is winding down its specialized studio and on-site talent programming this year.

From Los Angeles Times

Over the next two decades, Mr. Woods won 67 more times on the PGA Tour—including 13 more majors—and joined Messrs. Gretzky and Jordan as the face of their sports.

From The Wall Street Journal

The vast sports complex is one of the few shelters able to take in people with disabilities, despite being poorly adapted to their needs.

From Barron's

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023