sport 1 of 2

noun

Definition of sportnext
1
as in recreation
activity engaged in to amuse oneself I don't care terribly whether I actually catch any fish, as I'm just doing this for sport

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in game
an attitude or manner not to be taken seriously teasing that began in sport ended with some hateful words being exchanged

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in ridicule
the making of unkind jokes as a way of showing one's scorn for someone or something taught their children that it was not polite to make sport of others

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in joke
a person or thing that is made fun of had become the long-suffering sport of the village

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

sport

2 of 2

verb

ˈspȯrt How to pronounce sport (audio)
1
as in to play
to engage in activity for amusement from sailing to snorkeling, each day we sported at a different activity offered by the beach resort

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to dance
to play and run about happily the millionaire's grandchildren sporting on the estate's spacious grounds

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to display
to present so as to invite notice or attention sported his flashy new car by driving it all over town

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun sport differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of sport are fun, game, jest, and play. While all these words mean "action or speech that provides amusement or arouses laughter," sport applies especially to the arousing of laughter against someone.

teasing begun in sport led to anger

When is fun a more appropriate choice than sport?

The synonyms fun and sport are sometimes interchangeable, but fun usually implies laughter or gaiety but may imply merely a lack of serious or ulterior purpose.

played cards just for fun

How are the words game and sport related?

Game is close to sport, and often stresses mischievous or malicious fun.

made game of their poor relations

Where would jest be a reasonable alternative to sport?

The meanings of jest and sport largely overlap; however, jest implies lack of earnestness and may suggest a hoaxing or teasing.

hurt by remarks said only in jest

When can play be used instead of sport?

In some situations, the words play and sport are roughly equivalent. However, play stresses the opposition to earnest without implying any malice or mischief.

pretended to strangle his brother in play

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of sport
Noun
The initiatives pitted some of California’s most successful Native American tribes with gaming interests against gambling corporations, including online sports gaming companies DraftKings and FanDuel. — Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2026 After all, when a vehicle's primary mission is transporting children, sports equipment, and adults who have opinions about second-row legroom, excitement isn't necessarily the highest priority. — New Atlas, 24 Oct. 2026
Verb
Known to go all-out for her birthday, Kardashian has been spotted out and about all week sporting some eye-catching outfits. — Erin Wisti, Footwear News, 24 Oct. 2026 Because the outcome of sporting events holds significance to the athlete, the brain doesn’t distinguish between the threat of letting a team down by allowing a game-losing goal and a predator in the wild. — Jesse Granger, New York Times, 23 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for sport
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sport
  1. recreation
  2. game
  3. ridicule
  4. joke
  5. play
  6. dance
  7. display
  8. relaxation
Noun
  • According to its governing body, the International Nordic Walking Federation (INWA), which was founded in 2000, Nordic walking is now practised in over 40 countries for health, fitness, recreation, social connection, and competitive sport.
    — Lola Akinmade, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Each ring has roughly 800 diamonds and a recreation of the world's most famous arena.
    — Ryan Morik OutKick, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of recreation
Noun
  • After fouling out for only the 35th time of his NBA career in the Heat’s third game of the season, Antetokounmpo also dealt with foul trouble on Wednesday against the Hawks.
    — Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 29 Oct. 2026
  • Lakers scoring phenom Luka Doncic missed his first game of the young season with back tightness, leaving a giant hole in their offense with the NBA’s leading scorer (36 points per game) sitting out.
    — Broderick Turner, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of game
Noun
  • Lawmakers who oppose him risk public ridicule, primary challenges and diminished political support.
    — Stephanie A, The Conversation, 26 Oct. 2026
  • The objects of female desire—boy bands, teen idols, soap opera characters, suspiciously close hockey players—have always been subject to ridicule.
    — Janelle Okwodu, Vogue, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of ridicule
Noun
  • My friend Jackie Kashian was hired to write jokes for standup, for a comedian who didn’t have the time.
    — Ava Kofman, New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2026
  • The whole joke is that Chandler is really bad at posing for photos.
    — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of joke
Verb
  • Reimer played just one previous game this fall, a 35-save shutout in the American Hockey League on Saturday night, before signing an NHL contract for the rest of the season.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2026
  • The 2025 expansion team will have an opportunity to secure its first championship banner when Game 6 is played Thursday afternoon in Atlanta.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of play
Verb
  • Nobody Wants This is back for a third season of dancing around the real issues of contemporary Judaism in America so that maybe Kristen Bell’s convert character Joanne can learn about hamantaschen rather than have one political conversation.
    — Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Laureate Park Lights aims to dazzle the Lake Nona community with lights that dance to music.
    — Patrick Connolly, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of dance
Verb
  • While reconfiguring bedding and bath areas, sheet walls displaying Threshold and other labels are being redone to showcase the attributes of the different sheets.
    — David Moin, Footwear News, 27 Oct. 2026
  • The space also displays visual art from the local arts community, including a 24-foot dragon sculpture that hangs from the ceiling.
    — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of display
Noun
  • Key ingredients include togetherness, relaxation, indulgence, presence and comfort.
    — Hanna Wickes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Oct. 2026
  • There are saunas, hot tubs, steam rooms, and—most importantly—expert trainers and therapists who guide all guests through a journey of deep relaxation and rejuvenation.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of relaxation

Phrases Containing sport

Browse Nearby Words

sporadically
sport
sported
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Sport.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sport. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on sport

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about sport

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of shindig

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Pwn, Skibidi, Girlboss and Other Words Added to the 2026 Scrabble Dictionary

The Words of the Week - Oct. 30

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All