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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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

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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

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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 actor and musician plays a prominent role in what is expected to be a significant and long-running campaign for sports-wagering giant DraftKings. — Brian Steinberg, Variety, 31 Aug. 2026 Their case counts wide-release theatrical movies and the basic cable bundle, and leaves out streaming, YouTube, sports rights, and everything else that now competes for the same hours of your evening. — Shubha Ghosh, Fortune, 31 Aug. 2026
Verb
Ariana Grande fans will unfortunately not get to see the Grammy winner sporting her iconic high heels during the final two shows of her Eternal Sunshine Tour. — Carly Thomas, HollywoodReporter, 31 Aug. 2026 Hailey, 29, wore a bright green floor-length halter dress for the occasion, while her husband, Justin, 32, sported a black suit. — Erin Clack, PEOPLE, 31 Aug. 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
  • Unlike tobacco, a static product with no real defensible qualities outside of recreation, consumer technology is ever evolving, and the lines between harmfully addictive and beneficial to society can be extremely blurry.
    — Jonathan Vanian, CNBC, 30 Aug. 2026
  • The youth center has been a community staple for decades where children and teenagers turned for academic support and recreation.
    — Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of recreation
Noun
  • The team hoped undrafted second-year player Tyler Batty could contribute, too, but Batty tore his ACL last Friday in the team’s final preseason game against the Denver Broncos.
    — Alec Lewis, New York Times, 2 Sep. 2026
  • The game, originally scheduled for last Friday, was full of yellow flags.
    — Chris Hays, The Orlando Sentinel, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of game
Noun
  • While returning to Southern California brought the Bruins’ starting quarterback closer to his roots and family, the social media ridicule chased him cross-country, targeting not just him, but his parents too.
    — Connor Dullinger, Los Angeles Times, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Trump was awarded the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize before the tournament began, a decision which triggered widespread ridicule across the world.
    — Ben Church, CNN Money, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of ridicule
Noun
  • And honestly, that’s kind of the best joke there is — some classic America’s Funniest Home Videos type stuff.
    — Maria Bamford, Vulture, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Sumaila has a running joke about it, borrowed from an old British comedy about a heist gone wrong.
    — Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of joke
Verb
  • Investments in big-name stars did not pan out, including a seven-year, $245 million deal for Anthony Rendon that had to be restructured and will end after this season, with Rendon playing just 257 games for the franchise and none since 2024.
    — Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Rumors have circulated that Stan may be playing Harvey Dent, the district attorney who eventually becomes the villainous Two-Face and was previously portrayed by Aaron Eckhart, Tommy Lee Jones, and Billy Dee Williams.
    — Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of play
Verb
  • Barney & Friends, the enormously popular and widely mocked PBS series about a singing, dancing purple dinosaur, is the obvious touchstone for the children’s-show-as-hellscape in the new movie Buddy.
    — Alison Willmore, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026
  • As skirts got shorter and the Jazz Age changed how women dressed, women wanted to show off their feet and looked for secure shoes for dancing.
    — Karla Rodriguez, Footwear News, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of dance
Verb
  • Aggregators and Suppliers Are Not the Same Thing A car rental aggregator is a platform that searches and displays inventory from multiple rental suppliers, allowing travelers to compare rates across dozens of providers at once.
    — Matthew Kayser, USA Today, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Anyone displaying such pedestrian tastes would immediately be expelled from the room.
    — David Denby, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of display
Noun
  • This relaxation of the rules thus allows certain distant male relatives who are over 15 years old and unmarried to rejoin the imperial family.
    — Séraphine Roger, Vanity Fair, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Ordering a drink can mark the start of a night out, signal relaxation or ease self-consciousness around other people.
    — Ryan Brennan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of relaxation

Phrases Containing sport

Browse Nearby Words

sporadically
sport
sported
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Cite this Entry

“Sport.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sport. Accessed 3 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on sport

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about sport

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