sports 1 of 2

noun

plural of sport
1
as in ridicules
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
2
as in jokes
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

sports

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of sport
1
as in plays
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 dances
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 displays
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

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 sports
Noun
Aaron's letter was also published in an op-ed in the Philadelphia Inquirer — a choice that would resonate with other sports fans across the region and even around the country. — Jonah Kaplan, CBS News, 20 Oct. 2026 On the 596th Sporticast episode, hosts Scott Soshnick and Eben Novy-Williams discuss some of the biggest sports business stories of the week, including an unexpected hiccup in the Milwaukee Brewers‘ run to their first World Series. — Eben Novy-Williams, Sportico.com, 20 Oct. 2026 Investors and sports fans can now take their shot at becoming partial owners of one or both teams through pure-play sports stocks, or just pass. — Robert Gray, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2026 And too many sports journalists have decided that certain stories are better left untold. — Matt Calkins Outkick, FOXNews.com, 20 Oct. 2026 So, in a sport that already generates the majority of its broadcast revenue in national rather than local packages, amid the collapse of regional sports networks, are the owners taking a risk of making less money on the World Series? — Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026 Previously announced under the title Shaolin Women’s Soccer, the Hong Kong-China co-production reworks the original film’s martial-arts-meets-scrappy-sports-team premise around an all-female squad of underdogs. — Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 14 Oct. 2026 To avoid that cost, the sports entertainment company moved 12,000 virtual machines (VMs) to VergeIO’s VergeOS and has saved over $11 million so far. — Scharon Harding, ArsTechnica, 13 Oct. 2026 However, what Ross found most interesting this season was the rise of niche sports. — Amy Francombe, Vogue, 13 Oct. 2026
Verb
Lambert wears earrings once owned by Parton in the song’s video, while Stapleton sports a necklace that belonged to Rogers. — Russ Penuell, Billboard, 13 Oct. 2026 Alienware Prime Day Deals 24-inch Gaming Monitor AW2525HM Alienware is Dell's gaming brand, and this monitor sports a blistering 320Hz refresh rate to make your games run more smoothly and efficiently than ever before. — George Yang, PC Magazine, 6 Oct. 2026 Even though Gordon usually sports a cheesy grin due to his upbeat nature, producing his first 100-yard rushing performance and scoring his second touchdown of the 2026 season on nine carries warranted a toothy smile. — Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 5 Oct. 2026 TikTok has been brimming with unboxing videos and fan declarations that the character Nikki, who sports the famous red top, will be the Halloween costume of the season. — Mariam Bagdady, Vogue, 29 Sep. 2026 The menu sports a short list of slightly twisted classics—a martini made with junmai daiginjo sake, a gimlet with ginger-lime cordial, a white negroni sbagliato. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 26 Sep. 2026 In the music video, shot on a friend’s farm in Canada, Jaggseer sports a cowboy hat and denim while Singh wears a black chest pack. — Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 19 Sep. 2026 The handsome wooden bench is crafted from solid poplar, features antique bronze hardware, and sports the soft and airy Seadrift finish, ideal for coastal, modern farmhouse, and contemporary dining rooms alike. — Maria Conti, Better Homes & Gardens, 19 Sep. 2026 The old tavern sign, which used to feature a portrait of King George III, now sports the image of another George—George Washington. — Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sports
  1. jokes
  2. plays
  3. dances
  4. displays
  5. targets
  6. toys
  7. hops
  8. exhibits
Noun
  • First, of course, there’s the business impact — the loss of authorship, credit, and revenue from accounts farming their jokes for clicks and a quick buck.
    — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Before there is comedy or jokes, the audience must care about the characters.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of jokes
Verb
  • After the Longhorns stuffed Jadan Baugh for a 2-yard loss plays later, Jones sold a fake, rolled out and connected with tight end Lacota Dippre for a 7-yard score.
    — Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 Oct. 2026
  • But Peter O’Toole plays your adviser and has these wonderful speeches about the importance of the monarchy and the spirit of the country.
    — Michael Schulman, New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of plays
Verb
  • First, the sequence pays homage to the nightclub scene in Gilda (1946), in which Rita Hayworth dances in a long shot amid ogling male patrons, tracked by a concentrated spotlight.
    — Harmon Siegel, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Noa dances viciously, slamming her body raw in front of the stage.
    — Robert Rubsam, New Yorker, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of dances
Verb
  • The fake Claude page displays an installation command that appears to come directly from Anthropic, the company behind Claude.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Be intentional about noticing autumn and Halloween displays on lawns and porches, which seem as popular as ever this year.
    — Dana Kelley, Arkansas Online, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of displays
Noun
  • Filling a government gap The new pledge comes as governments fall far behind their own nature-funding targets.
    — Sydney Lake, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Radar systems detect incoming threats and supply information that helps defensive missiles engage their targets.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of targets
Verb
  • Here, Matcha Milk toys the line between sweet and earthy, blending macadamia milk and vanilla with black tea and matcha accord.
    — Conçetta Ciarlo, Vogue, 16 Mar. 2026
Definition of toys
Verb
  • Blanding hops in and out of the truck, grabbing buckets of food scraps from porches and restaurants, piling those scraps into bins in the truck bed and driving them to a composting site.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 5 Oct. 2026
  • For the classy music video, Legend hops behind his Yamaha piano to perform the ethereal track with some help from the Hollywood Cinematic Orchestra, who are suited and booted.
    — Michael Saponara, Billboard, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of hops
Verb
  • Historic museum exhibits and even live history events — having a real horse or two with a coach driver dressed in late 19th- or early 20th-century garb — would continue the tourism value Manhattan needs to maintain.
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 18 Oct. 2026
  • General maturity—how someone presents themselves, exhibits accountability, practices focused listening and possesses emotional intelligence is essential.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of exhibits

Browse Nearby Words

sportiveness
sports
sports bar
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Cite this Entry

“Sports.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sports. Accessed 22 Oct. 2026.

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