Adjacent Words

Sport definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

SPORT, n.
1. That which diverts and makes merry; play; game; diversion; also, mirth. The word signifies both the cause and the effect; that which produces mirth, and the mirth or merriment produced.
Her sports were such as carried riches of knowledge upon the stream of delight.
Here the word denotes the cause of amusement.
They called Samson out of the prison-house; and he made them sport. Judges 16.
Here sport is the effect.
2. Mock; mockery; contemptuous mirth.
Then make sport at me, then let me be your jest.
They made a sport of his prophets.
3. That with which one plays, or which is driven about.
To flitting leaves, the sport of every wind.
Never does man appear to greater disadvantage than when he is the sport of his own ungoverned passions.
4. Play; idle jingle.
An author who should introduce such a sport of words upon our stage, would meet with small applause.
5. Diversion of the field, as fowling, hunting, fishing.
In sport. To do a thing in sport, is to do it in jest, for play or diversion.
So is the man that deceiveth his neighbor, and saith, am not I in sport? Proverbs 26.
SPORT, v.t.
1. To divert; to make merry; used with the reciprocal pronoun.
Against whom do ye sport yourselves? Isaiah 47.
2. To represent by any kind of play.
Now sporting on thy lyre the love of youth.
SPORT, v.i.
1. To play; to frolick; to wanton.
See the brisk lambs that sport along the mead.
2. To trifle. The man that laughs at religion sports with his own salvation.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: an active diversion requiring physical exertion and competition [syn: sport, athletics]
2: the occupation of athletes who compete for pay
3: (Maine colloquial) a temporary summer resident of Maine [syn: sport, summercater]
4: 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"
5: someone who engages in sports [syn: sport, sportsman, sportswoman]
6: (biology) an organism that has characteristics resulting from chromosomal alteration [syn: mutant, mutation, variation, sport]
7: verbal wit or mockery (often at another's expense but not to be taken seriously); "he became a figure of fun"; "he said it in sport" [syn: fun, play, sport] v
1: wear or display in an ostentatious or proud manner; "she was sporting a new hat" [syn: sport, feature, boast]
2: play boisterously; "The children frolicked in the garden"; "the gamboling lambs in the meadows"; "The toddlers romped in the playroom" [syn: frolic, lark, rollick, skylark, disport, sport, cavort, gambol, frisk, romp, run around, lark about]

Merriam Webster's

I. verb Etymology: Middle English, to divert, disport, short for disporten Date: 15th century intransitive verb 1. a. to amuse oneself ; frolic <lambs sporting in the meadow> b. to engage in a sport 2. a. to mock or ridicule something b. to speak or act in jest ; trifle 3. [sport (II)] to deviate or vary abruptly from type (as by bud variation) ; mutate transitive verb 1. to display or wear usually ostentatiously ; boast <sporting expensive new shoes> 2. [sport (II)] to put forth as a sport or bud variation II. noun Date: 15th century 1. a. a source of diversion ; recreation b. sexual play c. (1) physical activity engaged in for pleasure (2) a particular activity (as an athletic game) so engaged in 2. a. pleasantry, jest b. often mean-spirited jesting ; mockery, derision 3. a. something tossed or driven about in or as if in play b. laughingstock 4. a. sportsman b. a person considered with respect to living up to the ideals of sportsmanship <a good sport> <a poor sport> c. a companionable person 5. an individual exhibiting a sudden deviation from type beyond the normal limits of individual variation usually as a result of mutation especially of somatic tissue Synonyms: see fun III. adjective or sports Date: 1582 of, relating to, or suitable for sports; especially styled in a manner suitable for casual or informal wear <sport coats>

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & v. --n. 1 a a game or competitive activity, esp. an outdoor one involving physical exertion, e.g. cricket, football, racing, hunting. b such activities collectively (the world of sport). 2 (in pl.) Brit. a a meeting for competing in sports, esp. athletics (school sports). b athletics. 3 amusement, diversion, fun. 4 colloq. a a fair or generous person. b a person behaving in a specified way, esp. regarding games, rules, etc. (a bad sport at tennis). c Austral. a form of address, esp. between males. d US a playboy. 5 Biol. an animal or plant deviating suddenly or strikingly from the normal type. 6 a plaything or butt (was the sport of Fortune). --v. 1 intr. divert oneself, take part in a pastime. 2 tr. wear, exhibit, or produce, esp. ostentatiously (sported a gold tie-pin). 3 intr. Biol. become or produce a sport. Phrases and idioms: have good sport be successful in shooting, fishing, etc. in sport jestingly. make sport of make fun of, ridicule. the sport of kings horse-racing (less often war, hunting, or surfing). sports car an open, low-built fast car. sports coat (or jacket) a man's jacket for informal wear. sports writer a person who writes (esp. as a journalist) on sports. Derivatives: sporter n. Etymology: ME f. DISPORT

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Sport Sport (sp[=o]rt), n. [Abbreviated frm disport.] 1. That which diverts, and makes mirth; pastime; amusement. It is as sport a fool do mischief. --prov. x. 23. Her sports were such as carried riches of knowledge upon the stream of delight. --Sir P. Sidney. Think it but a minute spent in sport. --Shak. 2. Mock; mockery; contemptuous mirth; derision. Then make sport at me; then let me be your jest.Shak. 3. That with which one plays, or which is driven about in play; a toy; a plaything; an object of mockery. Flitting leaves, the sport of every wind. --Dryden. Never does man appear to greater disadvantage than when he is the sport of his own ungoverned pasions. --John Clarke. 4. Play; idle jingle. An author who should introduce such a sport of words upon our stage would meet with small applause. --Broome. 5. Diversion of the field, as fowling, hunting, fishing, racing, games, and the like, esp. when money is staked. 6. (Bot. & Zo["o]l.) A plant or an animal, or part of a plant or animal, which has some peculiarity not usually seen in the species; an abnormal variety or growth. See Sporting plant, under Sporting. 7. A sportsman; a gambler. [Slang] In sport, in jest; for play or diversion. ``So is the man that deceiveth his neighbor, and saith, Am not I in sport?'' --Prov. xxvi. 19. Syn: Play; game; diversion; frolic; mirth; mock; mockery; jeer.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Sport Sport, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Sported; p. pr. & vb. n. Sporting.] 1. To play; to frolic; to wanton. [Fish], sporting with quick glance, Show to the sun their waved coats dropt with gold. --Milton. 2. To practice the diversions of the field or the turf; to be given to betting, as upon races. 3. To trifle. ``He sports with his own life.'' --Tillotson. 4. (Bot. & Zo["o]l.) To assume suddenly a new and different character from the rest of the plant or from the type of the species; -- said of a bud, shoot, plant, or animal. See Sport, n., 6. --Darwin. Syn: To play; frolic; game; wanton.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Sport Sport, v. t. 1. To divert; to amuse; to make merry; -- used with the reciprocal pronoun. Against whom do ye sport yourselves? --Isa. lvii. 4. 2. To represent by any knd of play. Now sporting on thy lyre the loves of youth. --Dryden. 3. To exhibit, or bring out, in public; to use or wear; as, to sport a new equipage. [Colloq.] --Grose. 4. To give utterance to in a sportive manner; to throw out in an easy and copious manner; -- with off; as, to sport off epigrams. --Addison. To sport one's oak. See under Oak, n.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(sports) Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English. 1. Sports are games such as football and basketball and other competitive leisure activities which need physical effort and skill. I'd say football is my favourite sport... She excels at sport... Billy turned on a radio to get the sports news. N-VAR 2. If you say that someone is a sport or a good sport, you mean that they cope with a difficult situation or teasing in a cheerful way. (OLD-FASHIONED) He was accused of having no sense of humor, of not being a good sport. N-COUNT [approval]

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. n. 1. Play, diversion, amusement, pastime, game, fun, frolic, gambol, prank, recreation, gayety, entertainment, merriment, mirth, jollity, joviality, pleasantry, merry-making. 2. Amusement, entertainment, diversion. 3. Recreation. 4. Jest, joke. 5. Mockery, derision, mock, ridicule, contemptuous mirth, jeer. 6. Toy, plaything. 7. Play, idle jingle. 8. Monstrosity, lusus naturae. 9. Wantonness, looseness, amorous dallying. II. v. n. 1. Play, frolic, disport, wanton, skip, frisk, romp, caper, make fun, make merry. 2. Trifle. III. v. a. (Colloq.) Exhibit, display, make a show of.

1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue

To exhibit: as, Jack Jehu sported a new gig yesterday: I shall sport a new suit next week. To sport or flash one's ivory; to shew one's teeth. To sport timber; to keep one's outside door shut; this term is used in the inns of court to signify denying one's self. N.B. The word SPORT was in great vogue ann. 1783 and 1784.

Moby Thesaurus

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gambler, gambol, game, game loser, games, games of chance, games-player, gamester, gewgaw, ghost, gimcrack, give-and-take, gliding, go, go hunting, golf, golf club, good loser, good one, good sport, good story, good time, good-natured banter, great fun, guard, gun, gunning, gymnastics, handball, harmless teasing, have on, hawk, hawking, hazarder, heterotopia, hide-and-seek, high jinks, high old time, high time, hiking, hobbyhorse, hockey, hold up, hopscotch, horse around, horseplay, horseshoes, hound, howler, humor, hunt, hunt down, hunting, hurdling, ice hockey, individualist, infielder, inner-directed person, innovation, jack, jack-a-dandy, jack-in-the-box, jackanapes, jacklight, jacks, jackstones, jackstraws, jape, jest, jestbook, jive, jock, joke, jollification, josh, jumper, keno, kickshaw, kidding, kidding around, knickknack, lacrosse, lady-killer, lark, laugh, laughs, lawn tennis, leapfrog, lineman, loser, lot, lotto, lovely time, luging, macaroni, man-about-town, manifest, marble, marbles, marionette, masher, match, match coins, meet, merels, metabolism, metagenesis, metamorphism, metamorphosis, metastasis, metathesis, metempsychosis, mig, misfit, mock, mockery, motorcycling, mountaineering, mumble-the-peg, mutant, mutated form, mutation, natation, naysayer, ninepins, nonconformist, novelty, oddball, offensive lineman, outfield, outfielder, palaestra, pall-mall, pallone, panic, paper doll, parade, pastime, pelota, pentathlon, permutation, persiflage, petty gambler, pick-up sticks, picnic, piker, pilgarlic, pinwheel, play, play at dice, play the ponies, play-off, player, plaything, pleasant time, pleasantry, pleasure, plunger, point, polo, poloist, pool, post office, professional athlete, prowl after, pugilist, punter, puppet, puppy, pushball, put forth, put forward, pyramids, quarterback, quintain, quits, race, racer, racket, racquets, raffle off, rag doll, raillery, rallying, recreate, recreation, reincarnation, relaxation, rib tickler, ride to hounds, ridicule, riding, riot, rocking horse, roller skating, rollick, romp, rounders, rowing, rugger, run, runoff, sailing, sailplaning, scream, sculling, sharp, sharper, sharpie, shikar, shinny, shoot, shoot craps, shooting, shot-put, show off, shuffleboard, sick joke, sidesplitter, sight gag, singles, skater, skating, skeet, skeet shooting, ski-jumping, skiing, skin-diving, skip, skittles, sledding, snooker, snorkel diving, snowmobiling, soccer, softball, spark, speculate, speculator, sporting, sporting man, sports, sportsman, squash, stalk, stalking, start, steelie, stickball, still hunt, still-hunt, stooge, story, surfing, swell, swimming, table tennis, tackle, tailback, taw, tease, teetotum, tennis, tenpins, tent pegging, tetherball, the vanquished, threesome, ticktacktoe, tiddlywinks, tilting, tinhorn, tipcat, tipster, tivoli, tobogganing, top, toss, tout, toxophilite, toy, toy soldier, track, track and field, trail, transanimation, transfiguration, transfigurement, transformation, transformism, translation, translocation, transmigration, transmogrification, transmutation, transposition, transubstantiation, trapshooting, trinket, trip, trumpet, trumpet forth, tug of war, tumbling, twit, twosome, underdog, vaunt, venery, venturer, victim, visual joke, volleyball, wagerer, water polo, waterskiing, wave, wear, wheeze, whim-wham, wingback, wow, wrestler, wrestling, yarn