noun / verb
sport
SPORT/spɔːrt/
Play undertaken for enjoyment.
The two adults play basketball for sport on the plain court.
Etymology
The underlying image is to “carry away” the mind from serious matters. This became amusement or recreation, then more specifically a game involving physical exercise.
In context
The predominant forms of gridiron football are American football and Canadian football. Gridiron refers to the sport's characteristic playing field, which is marked with a series of parallel lines resembling a gridiron.
More examples
- We trade silly riddles for sport during long car rides.
- Otters sport in the water beside the riverbank.
- His teasing is only sport, and nobody takes it seriously.
Forms
sport · sports · sported · sporting
Similar words
- play
- The more usual everyday word for activity done for fun.
- recreation
- Emphasizes leisure and refreshment rather than joking or playful behavior.
- frolic
- Suggests lively, carefree play, especially with energetic movement.