SPORT

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does sport mean? 

• SPORT (noun)
  The noun SPORT has 7 senses:

1. an active diversion requiring physical exertion and competition

2. the occupation of athletes who compete for pay

3. (Maine colloquial) a temporary summer resident of Maine

4. a person known for the way she (or he) behaves when teased or defeated or subjected to trying circumstances

5. someone who engages in sports

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

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

  Familiarity information: SPORT used as a noun is common.

• SPORT (verb)
  The verb SPORT has 2 senses:

1. wear or display in an ostentatious or proud manner

2. play boisterously

  Familiarity information: SPORT used as a verb is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• SPORT (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

An active diversion requiring physical exertion and competition

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

athletics; sport

Hypernyms ("sport" is a kind of...):

diversion; recreation (an activity that diverts or amuses or stimulates)

Domain member category:

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))

flip; pass; toss ((sports) the act of throwing the ball to another member of your team)

daisy cutter (a batted or served ball that skims along close to the ground)

call ((sports) the decision made by an umpire or referee)

birling; logrolling (rotating a log rapidly in the water (as a competitive sport))

shot; stroke ((sports) the act of swinging or striking at a ball with a club or racket or bat or cue or hand)

position ((in team sports) the role assigned to an individual player)

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))

save ((sports) the act of preventing the opposition from scoring)

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)

trial ((sports) a preliminary competition to determine qualifications)

defence; defending team; defense ((sports) the team that is trying to prevent the other team from scoring)

bench warmer ((sports) a substitute who seldom plays)

coach; handler; manager ((sports) someone in charge of training an athlete or a team)

free agent ((sports) a professional athlete who is free to sign a contract to play for any team)

iron man; ironman (a strong man of exceptional physical endurance)

ref; referee ((sports) the chief official (as in boxing or American football) who is expected to ensure fair play)

scout; talent scout (someone employed to discover and recruit talented persons (especially in the worlds of entertainment or sports))

shooter ((sports) a player who drives or kicks a ball at the goal (or a basketball player who shoots at the basket))

timekeeper; timer ((sports) an official who keeps track of the time elapsed)

deficit ((sports) the score by which a team or individual is losing)

lead ((sports) the score by which a team or individual is winning)

average ((sports) the ratio of successful performances to opportunities)

free agency ((sports) the state of a professional athlete who is free to negotiate a contract to play for any team)

regulation time ((sports) the normal prescribed duration of a game)

sudden death ((sports) overtime in which play is stopped as soon as one contestant scores; e.g. football and golf)

bout; round; turn ((sports) a division during which one team is on the offensive)

surge (see one's performance improve)

seed (distribute (players or teams) so that outstanding teams or players will not meet in the early rounds)

outclass (cause to appear in a lower class)

call (indicate a decision in regard to)

curl (play the Scottish game of curling)

start (play in the starting lineup)

field (play as a fielder)

shoot (score)

referee; umpire (be a referee or umpire in a sports competition)

drop (lose (a game))

down (bring down or defeat (an opponent))

bandy (toss or strike a ball back and forth)

double-team (cover with two defensive players)

submarine (bring down with a blow to the legs)

kick (drive or propel with the foot)

punt (kick the ball)

follow through (carry a stroke to natural completion after hitting or releasing a ball)

kill (hit with great force)

kill (hit with so much force as to make a return impossible, in racket games)

drive (hit very hard, as by swinging a bat horizontally)

racket (hit (a ball) with a racket)

carry; dribble (propel)

cut (hit (a ball) with a spin so that it turns in the opposite direction)

box (engage in a boxing match)

spar (box lightly)

spar (fight with spurs)

prizefight (box for a prize or money)

shadowbox (go through boxing motions without an opponent)

tramp (travel on foot, especially on a walking expedition)

hike (walk a long way, as for pleasure or physical exercise)

mountaineer (climb mountains for pleasure as a sport)

abseil; rappel; rope down (descend by means of a rappel)

backpack; pack (hike with a backpack)

run (run with the ball; in such sports as football)

jog (run for exercise)

skate (move along on skates)

spread-eagle (execute a spread eagle on skates, with arms and legs stretched out)

ice skate (move along on ice skates)

figure skate (dance on skates)

roller skate (travel on shoes with steel or rubber rollers attached to their soles)

skateboard (ride on a flat board with rollers attached to the bottom)

Rollerblade (travel on shoes with a single line of rubber wheels attached to their soles)

speed skate (race on skates)

ski (move along on skis)

schuss (ski downhill)

sled; sleigh (ride (on) a sled)

bob; bobsled (ride a bobsled)

luge; toboggan (move along on a luge or toboggan)

water ski (ride water skis)

scull (propel with sculls)

canoe (travel by canoe)

kayak (travel in a small canoe)

paddle (propel with a paddle)

surf; surfboard (ride the waves of the sea with a surfboard)

windsurf (ride standing on a surfboard with an attached sail, on water)

skin-dive (swim underwater with no breathing apparatus other than a snorkel)

jackknife (dive into the water bending the body at the waist at a right angle, like a jackknife)

snorkel (dive with a snorkel)

ski jump (jump on skis)

hurdle (jump a hurdle)

ride the bench; warm the bench (be out of the game)

run (make without a miss)

sit out (not participate in (an activity, such as a dance or a sports event))

out of play ((of a ball) not available to be played during a game)

man-to-man; one-on-one (being a system of play in which an individual defensive player guards an individual offensive player)

loose ((of a ball in sport) not in the possession or control of any player)

legal (allowed by official rules)

disqualified (barred from competition for violation of rules)

home (used of your own ground)

away (used of an opponent's ground)

most-valuable (designating the player judged to be the most important to the sport)

ineligible (prohibited by official rules)

defending (attempting to or designed to prevent an opponent from winning or scoring)

onside (not offside; being within the prescribed area of play)

offside; offsides (illegally beyond a prescribed line or area or ahead of the ball or puck)

underarm; underhand; underhanded (with hand brought forward and up from below shoulder level)

overarm; overhand; overhanded (with hand brought forward and down from above shoulder level)

upfield (away from the defending teams' end of the playing field)

downfield; downfield (toward or in the defending team's end of the playing field)

at home (on the home team's field)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "sport"):

skating (the sport of gliding on skates)

row; rowing (the act of rowing as a sport)

racing (the sport of engaging in contests of speed)

equitation; horseback riding; riding (the sport of sitting 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)

sledding (the sport of riding on a sled or sleigh)

archery (the sport of shooting arrows with a bow)

aquatics; water sport (sports that involve bodies of water)

skiing (a sport in which participants must travel on skis)

track and field (participating in athletic sports performed on a running track or on the field associated with it)

gymnastic exercise; gymnastics (a sport that involves exercises intended to display strength and balance and agility)

field sport; outdoor sport (a sport that is played outdoors)

contact sport (a sport that necessarily involves body contact between opposing players)

rock climbing (the sport or pastime of scaling rock masses on mountain sides (especially with the help of ropes and special equipment))

funambulism; tightrope walking (walking on a tightrope or slack rope)

Derivation:

sport (play boisterously)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The occupation of athletes who compete for pay

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("sport" is a kind of...):

business; job; line; line of work; occupation (the principal activity in your life that you do to earn money)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "sport"):

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)

professional boxing (boxing for money)

Sense 3

Meaning:

(Maine colloquial) a temporary summer resident of Maine

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

sport; summercater

Hypernyms ("sport" is a kind of...):

vacationer; vacationist (someone on vacation; someone who is devoting time to pleasure or relaxation rather than to work)

Sense 4

Meaning:

A person known for the way she (or he) behaves when teased or defeated or subjected to trying circumstances

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Context example:

a poor sport

Hypernyms ("sport" is a kind of...):

individual; mortal; person; somebody; someone; soul (a human being)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Someone who engages in sports

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

sport; sportsman; sportswoman

Hypernyms ("sport" is a kind of...):

athlete; jock (a person trained to compete in sports)

Sense 6

Meaning:

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

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

mutant; mutation; sport; variation

Hypernyms ("sport" is a kind of...):

being; organism (a living thing that has (or can develop) the ability to act or function independently)

Domain category:

biological science; biology (the science that studies living organisms)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "sport"):

freak; lusus naturae; monster; monstrosity (a person or animal that is markedly unusual or deformed)

Sense 7

Meaning:

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

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

fun; play; sport

Context example:

he said it in sport

Hypernyms ("sport" is a kind of...):

humor; humour; wit; witticism; wittiness (a message whose ingenuity or verbal skill or incongruity has the power to evoke laughter)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "sport"):

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)

• SPORT (verb)

Conjugation:

Sense 1

Meaning:

Wear or display in an ostentatious or proud manner

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Synonyms:

boast; feature; sport

Context example:

she was sporting a new hat

Hypernyms (to "sport" is one way to...):

feature; have (have as a feature)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s something

Sense 2

Meaning:

Play boisterously

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Synonyms:

cavort; disport; frisk; frolic; gambol; lark; lark about; rollick; romp; run around; skylark; sport

Context example:

The toddlers romped in the playroom

Hypernyms (to "sport" is one way to...):

play (be at play; be engaged in playful activity; amuse oneself in a way characteristic of children)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s PP

Derivation:

sport (an active diversion requiring physical exertion and competition)

 Context examples 

Choose a sunny location, rich with beauty that would offer you a chance to play sports.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

Causes of cartilage problems include: • Tears and injuries, such as sports injuries • Genetic factors • Other disorders, such as some types of arthritis

(Cartilage Disorders, NIH: National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases)

The days sported by us, as if Time had not grown up himself yet, but were a child too, and always at play.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

"But the beast would certainly have a good sporting chance."

(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Not that he will value it as he ought, he observed, Charles is too cool about sporting.

(Persuasion, by Jane Austen)

If you play sports or work in certain jobs, you may need protection.

(Eye Injuries, NIH)

"Let her come—it will be excellent sport!"

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

I was scarcely hid when a young girl came running towards the spot where I was concealed, laughing, as if she ran from someone in sport.

(Frankenstein, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley)

ACL and other knee injuries are common sports injuries.

(Knee Injuries and Disorders, NIH: National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases)

If you have a sports injury, treatment often begins with the RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation) method to relieve pain, reduce swelling, and speed healing.

(Joint Disorders, NIH: National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases)