I. sport 1 S2 W2 /spɔːt $ spɔːrt/ BrE AmE noun
[ Word Family: adjective : ↑ sporting , ↑ unsporting , ↑ sporty ; verb : ↑ sport ; noun : ↑ sport ]
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Origin: disport ]
1 . GAMES
a) [countable] a physical activity in which people compete against each other:
My favourite sports are tennis and swimming.
a sports team
All students are encouraged to take part in a sport.
He picked up the newspaper and turned to the sports pages.
b) [uncountable] British English sports in general:
Why is there so much sport on TV?
I always hated sport at school.
GRAMMAR
The uncountable use of sport is British English only:
▪
I’m not interested in sport.
In American English, the plural sports is used:
▪
He likes watching sports on TV.
2 . HUNTING [countable] an activity that people do in the countryside, especially hunting or fishing:
the sport of falconry
a demonstration by people opposed to blood sports (=sports that involve killing animals)
3 . HELPFUL PERSON [countable usually singular] ( also good sport ) old-fashioned a helpful cheerful person who lets you enjoy yourself
be a sport (=used when asking someone to help you)
Be a sport and lend me your bike.
4 . a good sport someone who does not get angry when they lose at a game or sport
5 . a bad/poor sport someone who gets angry very easily when they lose at a game or sport
6 . MAN/BOY spoken
a) Australian English used when speaking to someone, especially a man, in a friendly way:
See you later, sport.
b) American English old-fashioned used when speaking to a boy in a friendly way
7 . FUN [uncountable] old-fashioned fun or amusement:
Did she torment him merely for sport?
8 . make sport of somebody old-fashioned to joke about someone in a way that makes them seem stupid
⇨ ↑ field sports , ↑ water sports , ↑ winter sports
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ verbs
▪ play (a) sport
My ambition was to play sport at the highest level.
▪ take part in (a) sport
Students are encouraged to take part in a sport of some kind.
▪ do sport British English , do sports American English
I did a lot of sport at school.
▪ take up a sport (=start doing it)
I took up the sport six years ago.
▪ compete in a sport (=do that sport in competitions)
She competed in various sports when she was young.
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + sport
▪ a team sport
I liked playing team sports such as football and rugby.
▪ an individual sport
You have to be mentally tough to compete in individual sports.
▪ a spectator sport (=one that people enjoy watching)
Football is the most popular spectator sport.
▪ competitive sport(s) (=in which people compete and try to win)
Competitive sport teaches valuable lessons which last for life.
▪ a contact sport (=one in which players have physical contact with each other)
People get hurt in contact sports, but they also have fun.
▪ a winter sport (=skiing, ice skating etc)
More and more people are taking up winter sports.
▪ an extreme sport (=one that is dangerous)
Many teenagers are attracted to extreme sports such as snowboarding.
▪ professional sport(s) (=which people are paid to do)
The kind of money involved in professional sport makes cheating inevitable.
▪ a minority sport (=one that very few people do)
Minority sports rarely feature on TV.
■ sports + NOUN
▪ a sports team
A lot of schools have their own sports teams.
▪ a sports club
She joined her local sports club.
▪ a sports field/ground
The village has its own sports field.
▪ a sports event
Is this country able to stage a major sports event?
▪ a sports fan (=someone who enjoys watching sport)
He was a big sports fan.
▪ a sports personality (=someone who is famous for playing sport)
The event will be opened by a well-known sports personality.
▪ sports facilities
All our holiday camps have wonderful sports facilities.
▪ sports equipment
a new online store selling all kinds of sports equipment
▪ a sports injury
The clinic specializes in treating sports injuries.
■ COMMON ERRORS
► Do not say ' make (a) sport '. Say do (a) sport or play (a) sport .
• • •
THESAURUS
■ places where people do sport
▪ field ( also pitch British English ) a large area of ground, usually covered with grass, where team sports are played:
A few kids were playing on the football field.
|
a hockey field
▪ stadium a large sports field with seats all around it for people to watch team sports or track and field competitions:
The atmosphere in the Olympic Stadium was amazing.
|
a football stadium
▪ ground British English a sports field and the seats and buildings around it, belonging to a particular football, rugby, or cricket team:
I met my friends inside the ground.
▪ ballpark/park American English a stadium where baseball is played:
Busch Stadium is one of the newest ballparks in Major League.
▪ court an area with lines painted on the ground, for tennis, badminton, basketball, or volleyball:
The hotel has four tennis courts and a volleyball court.
▪ diamond the area in a baseball field that is within the shape formed by the four bases. The diamond can also be the whole field:
The pitcher stands in the middle of the diamond.
|
There’s a playground, a picnic area, and a baseball diamond.
▪ track a circular path with lines on it, for running on:
In the relay, each runner runs once around the track.
▪ gym a room with machines which you can use to do exercises:
He spends an hour in the gym every day.
▪ pool/swimming pool a place where you can swim:
He jumped into the deep end of the pool.
|
I’ll meet you outside the swimming pool.
▪ sports centre British English , sports center American English a building where you can play many types of indoor sports:
Why not do exercise classes at your local sports centre?
▪ health club a small sports centre, where you pay to be a member:
How much does it cost to join a health club?
II. sport 2 BrE AmE verb
[ Word Family: adjective : ↑ sporting , ↑ unsporting , ↑ sporty ; verb : ↑ sport ; noun : ↑ sport ]
1 . be sporting something to be wearing something or have something on your body and show it to people in a proud way:
Eric was sporting a new camelhair coat.
2 . [intransitive] literary to play together happily:
the sight of dolphins sporting amidst the waves