sport

Sport has many definitions, the most familiar of which is a game involving physical exertion — think tennis or hockey. Randomly, sport can also mean to wear, as in, "he looked sharp sporting a yellow sport coat."

Most of the definitions of sport involve the idea of fun, or of something being fair. Hopefully organized sports are both. A sporting chance means a player in a game has a fair chance of winning. A good sport is someone who plays fair, and wins and loses graciously. If you torture flies for sport, you do it for fun, and that's just wrong. If you make sport of your little sister's stutter, you make fun of it, and that's even worse.

Definitions of sport
1

n an active diversion requiring physical exertion and competition

Synonyms:
athletics
Types:
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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)
contact sport
a sport that necessarily involves body contact between opposing players
field sport, outdoor sport
a sport that is played outdoors
gymnastic exercise, gymnastics
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
row, rowing
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
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
acrobatics, tumbling
the gymnastic moves of an acrobat
running, track
the act of participating in an athletic competition involving running on a track
jumping
the act of participating in an athletic competition in which you must jump
cross-country skiing
the sport of skiing across the countryside (rather than downhill)
ski jumping
the act of performing a jump on skis from a high ramp overhanging a snow covered slope
swim, swimming
the act of swimming
surfboarding, surfing, surfriding
the sport of riding a surfboard toward the shore on the crest of a wave
water-skiing
skiing on water while being towed by a motorboat
crab
a stroke of the oar that either misses the water or digs too deeply
sculling
rowing by a single oarsman in a racing shell
boxing, fisticuffs, pugilism
fighting with the fists
tobogganing
riding on a long light sled with low handrails
bobsledding
riding on a bobsled
grappling, rassling, wrestling
the sport of hand-to-hand struggle between unarmed contestants who try to throw each other down
ice skating
skating on ice
roller skating
skating on wheels
skateboarding
the sport of skating on a skateboard
speed skating
competitive skating on speed skates (usually around an oval course)
auto racing, car racing
the sport of racing automobiles
boat racing
the sport of racing boats
camel racing
the sport of racing camels
greyhound racing
the sport of racing greyhounds
horse racing
the sport of racing horses
equestrian sport
a sport that tests horsemanship
pony-trekking
a sport in which people ride across country on ponies
bicycling
riding a bicycle
motorcycling
riding a motorcycle
dune cycling
bicycling or motorcycling on sand dunes
bullfighting, tauromachy
the activity at a bullfight
cockfighting
participation in the sport of matching gamecocks in a cockfight
hunt, hunting
the pursuit and killing or capture of wild animals regarded as a sport
fishing, sportfishing
the act of someone who fishes as a diversion
hockey, hockey game, ice hockey
a game played on an ice rink by two opposing teams of six skaters each who try to knock a flat round puck into the opponents' goal with angled sticks
tetherball
a game with two players who use rackets to strike a ball that is tethered to the top of a pole; the object is to wrap the string around the pole
water polo
a game played in a swimming pool by two teams of swimmers who try to throw an inflated ball into the opponents' goal
outdoor game
an athletic game that is played outdoors
football, football game
any of various games played with a ball (round or oval) in which two teams try to kick or carry or propel the ball into each other's goal
court game
an athletic game played on a court
Type of:
diversion, recreation
an activity that diverts or amuses or stimulates

n someone who engages in sports

Synonyms:
sportsman, sportswoman
Type of:
athlete, jock
a person trained to compete in sports

n the occupation of athletes who compete for pay

Types:
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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
Type of:
business, job, line, line of work, occupation
the principal activity in your life that you do to earn money

n verbal wit or mockery (often at another's expense but not to be taken seriously)

“he said it in sport”
Synonyms:
fun, play
Types:
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jocosity, jocularity
fun characterized by humor
waggery, waggishness
waggish behavior
clowning, comedy, drollery, funniness
a comic incident or series of incidents
paronomasia, pun, punning, wordplay
a humorous play on words
Type of:
humor, humour, wit, witticism, wittiness
a message whose ingenuity or verbal skill or incongruity has the power to evoke laughter

n 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”
Type of:
individual, mortal, person, somebody, someone, soul
a human being

n (biology) an organism that has characteristics resulting from chromosomal alteration

Synonyms:
mutant, mutation, variation
Types:
freak, lusus naturae, monster, monstrosity
a person or animal that is markedly unusual or deformed
leviathan
the largest or most massive thing of its kind
Type of:
being, organism
a living thing that has (or can develop) the ability to act or function independently

n (Maine colloquial) a temporary summer resident of Maine

Synonyms:
summercater
Type of:
vacationer, vacationist
someone on vacation; someone who is devoting time to pleasure or relaxation rather than to work

v play boisterously

Synonyms:
cavort, disport, frisk, frolic, gambol, lark, lark about, rollick, romp, run around, skylark
Type of:
play
be at play; be engaged in playful activity; amuse oneself in a way characteristic of children

v wear or display in an ostentatious or proud manner

“she was sporting a new hat”
Synonyms:
boast, feature
Type of:
feature, have
have as a feature

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