Synonyms

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.

In a video clip shared by BroBible sports editor Jorge Alonso, Fieri can be seen warmly shaking hands with Tate and bumping shoulders as they greet each other.

From Salon • Apr. 14, 2026

Johannes Høesflot Klæbo, the greatest winter Olympian, shared interesting tidbits about himself with sports editor Joshua Robinson.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 13, 2026

A surefire sign of a sports star who wants to achieve true greatness is the ability to recalibrate, realign and reach their next goal.

From BBC • Apr. 13, 2026

That sentiment in America meant nothing to our predominately white Christian teammates who, true to the nature of sports, judged teammates only on their character, work ethic and production.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 12, 2026

Anyway, if there ever was a sports season to miss, this is the one.

From "Linked" by Gordon Korman

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