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Meaning & use

sports

noun, adjective·Everyday

Last updated

UK/spɔːts/
US/spɔːrts/

“sports” is a form of “sport”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.

Meanings

  1. nounplural

    Physical activities or games, often competitive, such as football, tennis, or swimming.

    Grammar: Plural noun: use a plural verb: Sports are good for your health. The singular is sport.

    Patterns

    • play sports
    • do sports
    • sports are ...

    My brother plays sports every weekend.

    Sports are a big part of school life in many countries.

    She enjoys watching sports on television.

  2. adjectivebefore a noun

    Relating to sports, or designed for use in sports.

    Grammar: Comes before a noun and has no comparative form: sports equipment, a sports jacket.

    Patterns

    • sports equipment
    • sports car
    • sports team

    He bought new sports equipment for the season.

    The school has a large sports field behind the building.

    They drove a red sports car along the coast.

  3. nouncountable

    A particular competitive activity, such as tennis or basketball, considered as a countable item.

    Grammar: This is the plural of the countable use of sport: Tennis and golf are popular sports.

    Patterns

    • a popular sport
    • team sports
    • water sports

    Basketball and soccer are the most popular sports here.

    Water sports like surfing attract many tourists.

    Which sports do you play?

Word forms

singularsport

Common combinations

play sports
Children should be encouraged to play sports.
sports team
He joined the school sports team last year.
sports equipment
The gym provides all the sports equipment you need.
watch sports
We watch sports together every Sunday.
sports car
A sports car sped past us on the highway.

Synonyms and how they differ

athletics
Athletics usually refers to track-and-field events or organized physical training, not all sports.
games
Games can include non-physical activities like board games; sports always involve physical activity.

Word family

sport noun
The singular form, meaning one activity or sport in general.
sporty adjective
Describes someone who enjoys sports or something that looks athletic.
sporting adjective
Relating to sports, as in a sporting event.

Commonly confused: sports or sport?

sports vs sport

Sport is singular and can be uncountable in British English; sports is the plural and the usual form before nouns like car or team.

Practice

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