n.
- Physical activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively.
- A particular form of this activity.
- An activity involving physical exertion and skill that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often undertaken competitively.
- An active pastime; recreation.
- Mockery; jest: He made sport of his own looks.
- An object of mockery, jest, or play: treated our interests as sport.
- A joking mood or attitude: She made the remark in sport.
- One known for the manner of one's acceptance of rules, especially of a game, or of a difficult situation: a poor sport.
- Informal. One who accepts rules or difficult situations well.
- Informal. A pleasant companion: was a real sport during the trip.
- Informal.
- A person who lives a jolly, extravagant life.
- A gambler at sporting events.
- Biology. An organism that shows a marked change from the normal type or parent stock, typically as a result of mutation.
- Maine. See summercater. See Regional Note at summercater.
- Obsolete. Amorous dalliance; lovemaking.
v., sport·ed, sport·ing, sports. v.intr.
- To play or frolic.
- To joke or trifle.
- Biology. To mutate.
To display or show off: "His shoes sported elevated heels" (Truman Capote).
adj. or sports
- Of, relating to, or appropriate for sports: sport fishing; sports equipment.
- Designed or appropriate for outdoor or informal wear: a sport shirt.
[Middle English sporte, short for disporte, from Old French desport, pleasure, from desporter, to divert. See disport.]
sportful sport'ful adj.sportfully sport'ful·ly adv.
sportfulness sport'ful·ness n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
