Sports
English dictionary

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A ↑
adept ; champion
someone who is dazzlingly skilled in any field

adversary ; antagonist ; opponent
someone who offers opposition

amateur
someone who pursues a study or sport as a pastime

archer ; bowman
a person who is expert in the use of a bow and arrow

archery
the sport of shooting arrows with a bow

area ; country
a particular geographical region of indefinite boundary (usually serving some special purpose or distinguished by its people or culture or geography); "it was a mountainous area"; "Bible country"

arrow
a projectile with a straight thin shaft and an arrowhead on one end and stabilizing vanes on the other; intended to be shot from a bow

athlete ; jock
a person trained to compete in sports

attacker ; aggressor ; assailant
someone who attacks

auto racing ; car racing
the sport of racing automobiles

award ; accolade
a tangible symbol signifying approval or distinction; "an award for bravery"


B ↑
badminton
a game played on a court with light long-handled rackets used to volley a shuttlecock over a net

ball
round object that is hit or thrown or kicked in games; "the ball travelled 90 mph on his serve"; "the mayor threw out the first ball"; "the ball rolled into the corner pocket"

ball ; globe ; orb
an object with a spherical shape; "a ball of fire"

baseball ; baseball game
a ball game played with a bat and ball between two teams of nine players; teams take turns at bat trying to score runs; "he played baseball in high school"; "there was a baseball game on every empty lot"; "there was a desire for National League ball in the area"; "play ball!"

baseball glove ; glove ; baseball mitt
the handwear used by fielders in playing baseball

basketball
a game played on a court by two opposing teams of 5 players; points are scored by throwing the ball through an elevated horizontal hoop

bat
a club used for hitting a ball in various games

batter ; batsman
(baseball) a ballplayer who is batting

bet
stake on the outcome of an issue; "I bet $100 on that new horse"; "She played all her money on the dark horse"

bike ; bicycle ; wheel ; cycle
a wheeled vehicle that has two wheels and is moved by foot pedals

billiards
any of several games played on rectangular cloth-covered table (with cushioned edges) in which long tapering cue sticks are used to propel ivory (or composition) balls

boating ; yachting
water travel for pleasure

boomerang
a curved piece of wood; when properly thrown will return to thrower

bow
a weapon for shooting arrows, composed of a curved piece of resilient wood with a taut cord to propel the arrow

bowling
a game in which balls are rolled at an object or group of objects with the aim of knocking them over or moving them

boxer
a breed of stocky medium-sized short-haired dog with a brindled coat and square-jawed muzzle developed in Germany

boxer ; pugilist
someone who fights with his fists for sport

boxing
fighting with the fists

boxing glove ; glove
boxing equipment consisting of big and padded coverings for the fists of the fighters; worn for the sport of boxing

bronze
an alloy of copper and tin and sometimes other elements; also any copper-base alloy containing other elements in place of tin

bullfighter ; toreador
someone who fights bulls

bullfighting ; tauromachy
the activity at a bullfight


C ↑
canoe
small and light boat; pointed at both ends; propelled with a paddle

champion ; champ
someone who has won first place in a competition

championship ; title
the status of being a champion; "he held the title for two years"

cheat ; chicane
defeat someone through trickery or deceit

climber
someone who climbs as a sport; especially someone who climbs mountains; "the lead climber looked strong still but his partner often slumped in his ropes"

clock ; time
measure the time or duration of an event or action or the person who performs an action in a certain period of time; "he clocked the runners"

coach ; train
teach and supervise (someone); act as a trainer or coach (to), as in sports; "He is training our Olympic team"; "She is coaching the crew"

compete ; vie
compete for something; engage in a contest; measure oneself against others

competitor ; rival ; challenger
the contestant you hope to defeat; "he had respect for his rivals"; "he wanted to know what the competition was doing"

contest ; competition
an occasion on which a winner is selected from among two or more contestants

course
facility consisting of a circumscribed area of land or water laid out for a sport; "the course had only nine holes"; "the course was less than a mile"

cricket
a game played with a ball and bat by two teams of 11 players; teams take turns trying to score runs

croquet
a game in which players hit a wooden ball through a series of hoops; the winner is the first to traverse all the hoops and hit a peg

cross-country skiing
the sport of skiing across the countryside (rather than downhill)

cup ; loving cup
a large metal vessel with two handles that is awarded as a trophy to the winner of a competition; "the school kept the cups is a special glass case"

curling
a game played on ice in which heavy stones with handles are slid toward a target

cycling
the sport of traveling on a bicycle or motorcycle


D ↑
dart
a small narrow pointed missile that is thrown or shot

decathlon
an athletic contest consisting of ten different events

defender ; guardian ; protector
a person who cares for persons or property

disability ; disablement
the condition of being unable to perform as a consequence of physical or mental unfitness; "reading disability"; "hearing impairment"

discus ; saucer
a disk used in throwing competitions

disqualify
declare unfit; "She was disqualified for the Olympics because she was a professional athlete"

dive
swim under water; "the children enjoyed diving and looking for shells"

diver ; frogman
someone who works underwater

drug
a substance that is used as a medicine or narcotic


E ↑
eleven
the cardinal number that is the sum of ten and one

elimination ; riddance
the act of removing or getting rid of something


F ↑
fan
an enthusiastic devotee of sports

favorite ; favourite
a competitor thought likely to win

feint
any distracting or deceptive maneuver (as a mock attack)

fencer ; swordsman
someone skilled at fencing

fencing
the art or sport of fighting with swords (especially the use of foils or epees or sabres to score points under a set of rules)

field hockey ; hockey
a game resembling ice hockey that is played on an open field; two opposing teams use curved sticks try to drive a ball into the opponents' net

final
the final match between the winners of all previous matches in an elimination tournament

finalist
a contestant who reaches the final stages of a competition

football ; football game
any of various games played with a ball (round or oval) in which two teams try to kick or carry or propel the ball into each other's goal

footrace ; foot race ; run
a race run on foot; "she broke the record for the half-mile run"

forehand
(sports) a return made with the palm of the hand facing the direction of the stroke (as in tennis or badminton or squash)

forward
the person who plays the position of forward in certain games, such as basketball, soccer, or hockey

foul
an act that violates the rules of a sport


G ↑
gambler
a person who wagers money on the outcome of games or sporting events

game
a contest with rules to determine a winner; "you need four people to play this game"

game
a single play of a sport or other contest; "the game lasted two hours"

gear ; paraphernalia
equipment consisting of miscellaneous articles needed for a particular operation or sport etc.

goal
a successful attempt at scoring; "the winning goal came with less than a minute left to play"

goal ; destination
the place designated as the end (as of a race or journey); "a crowd assembled at the finish"; "he was nearly exhausted as their destination came into view"

goalkeeper ; goalie ; goaltender
the soccer or hockey player assigned to protect the goal

goalpost
one of a pair of posts (usually joined by a crossbar) that are set up as a goal at each end of a playing field

goggles
tight-fitting spectacles worn to protect the eyes

gold
a soft yellow malleable ductile (trivalent and univalent) metallic element; occurs mainly as nuggets in rocks and alluvial deposits; does not react with most chemicals but is attacked by chlorine and aqua regia

golf ; golf game
a game played on a large open course with 9 or 18 holes; the object is use as few strokes as possible in playing all the holes

golf club ; golf-club ; club
golf equipment used by a golfer to hit a golf ball

golf course ; links course
course consisting of a large landscaped area for playing golf

golfer
someone who plays the game of golf

gymnasium ; gym
athletic facility equipped for sports or physical training

gymnast
an athlete who is skilled in gymnastics


H ↑
hammer throw
an athletic competition in which a heavy metal ball that is attached to a flexible wire is hurled as far as possible

handball
a game played in a walled court or against a single wall by two or four players who strike a rubber ball with their hands

handicap
advantage given to a competitor to equalize chances of winning

headband
a band worn around or over the head; "the earphones were held in place by a headband"

heavyweight
a professional boxer who weighs more than 190 pounds

helmet
a protective headgear made of hard material to resist blows

horse racing
the sport of racing horses

horseman ; equestrian
a man skilled in equitation

hunt ; hunting
the pursuit and killing or capture of wild animals regarded as a sport

hurdle
a light movable barrier that competitors must leap over in certain races

hurdle race
a footrace in which contestants must negotiate a series of hurdles


I ↑
ice hockey ; hockey
a game played on an ice rink by two opposing teams of six skaters each who try to knock a flat round puck into the opponents' goal with angled sticks


J ↑
javelin
a spear thrown as a weapon or in competitive field events

jockey
someone employed to ride horses in horse races

judo
a sport adapted from jujitsu (using principles of not resisting) and similar to wrestling; developed in Japan

jump ; leap
an abrupt transition; "a successful leap from college to the major leagues"

jump ; leap ; spring
move forward by leaps and bounds; "The horse bounded across the meadow"; "The child leapt across the puddle"; "Can you jump over the fence?"


K ↑
karate
a traditional Japanese system of unarmed combat; sharp blows and kicks are given to pressure-sensitive points on the body of the opponent


L ↑
lacrosse
a game invented by American Indians; now played by two teams who use long-handled rackets to catch and carry and throw the ball toward the opponents' goal

lap
movement once around a course; "he drove an extra lap just for insurance"

lead
an advantage held by a competitor in a race; "he took the lead at the last turn"

league ; conference
an association of sports teams that organizes matches for its members

lose
fail to win; "We lost the battle but we won the war"

loser ; also-ran
a contestant who loses the contest


M ↑
mallet
a sports implement with a long handle and a head like a hammer; used in sports (polo or croquet) to hit a ball

mascot
a person or animal that is adopted by a team or other group as a symbolic figure

match
a formal contest in which two or more persons or teams compete

medal ; medallion
an award for winning a championship or commemorating some other event

motorcycle ; bike
a motor vehicle with two wheels and a strong frame

move
(game) a player's turn to take some action permitted by the rules of the game


N ↑
net ; network ; mesh
an open fabric of string or rope or wire woven together at regular intervals


O ↑
offense ; offensive
the action of attacking an enemy

offside
(sport) the mistake of occupying an illegal position on the playing field (in football, soccer, ice hockey, field hockey, etc.)

Olympics ; Olympiad
the modern revival of the ancient games held once every 4 years in a selected country

opponent
a contestant that you are matched against

organization ; organisation
a group of people who work together

overcome ; defeat
win a victory over; "You must overcome all difficulties"; "defeat your enemies"; "He overcame his shyness"; "He overcame his infirmity"; "Her anger got the better of her and she blew up"


P ↑
paddle
propel with a paddle; "paddle your own canoe"

paddle ; boat paddle
a short light oar used without an oarlock to propel a canoe or small boat

pair
two people considered as a unit

pentathlon
an athletic contest consisting of five different events

pitcher ; hurler ; twirler
(baseball) the person who does the pitching; "our pitcher has a sore arm"

play
participate in games or sport; "We played hockey all afternoon"; "play cards"; "Pele played for the Brazilian teams in many important matches"

play
the act of playing for stakes in the hope of winning (including the payment of a price for a chance to win a prize); "his gambling cost him a fortune"; "there was heavy play at the blackjack table"

player ; participant
a person who participates in or is skilled at some game

pole vault ; pole jump
a competition that involves jumping over a high crossbar with the aid of a long pole

polo
a game similar to field hockey but played on horseback using long-handled mallets and a wooden ball

professional
engaged in a profession or engaging in as a profession or means of livelihood; "the professional man or woman possesses distinctive qualifications"; "began her professional career after the Olympics"; "professional theater"; "professional football"; "a professional cook"; "professional actors and athletes"

professional ; professional person
a person engaged in one of the learned professions

protest ; protestation
a formal and solemn declaration of objection; "they finished the game under protest to the league president"; "the senator rose to register his protest"; "the many protestations did not stay the execution"

psychology ; psychological science
the science of mental life

puck ; hockey puck
a vulcanized rubber disk 3 inches in diameter that is used instead of a ball in ice hockey


Q ↑
quarter
(football, professional basketball) one of four divisions into which some games are divided; "both teams scored in the first quarter"


R ↑
race
a contest of speed; "the race is to the swift"

racetrack ; racecourse
a course over which races are run

racket ; racquet
a sports implement (usually consisting of a handle and an oval frame with a tightly interlaced network of strings) used to strike a ball (or shuttlecock) in various games

record
an extreme attainment; the best (or worst) performance ever attested (as in a sport); "he tied the Olympic record"; "coffee production last year broke all previous records"; "Chicago set the homicide record"

referee ; ref
(sports) the chief official (as in boxing or American football) who is expected to ensure fair play

regatta
a meeting for boat races

replace
substitute a person or thing for (another that is broken or inefficient or lost or no longer working or yielding what is expected); "He replaced the old razor blade"; "We need to replace the secretary that left a month ago"; "the insurance will replace the lost income"; "This antique vase can never be replaced"

replace ; supersede
take the place or move into the position of; "Smith replaced Miller as CEO after Miller left"; "the computer has supplanted the slide rule"; "Mary replaced Susan as the team's captain and the highest-ranked player in the school"

replay ; rematch
something (especially a game) that is played again

ring
a platform usually marked off by ropes in which contestants box or wrestle

rivalry
the act of competing as for profit or a prize; "the teams were in fierce contention for first place"

rock climbing
the sport or pastime of scaling rock masses on mountain sides (especially with the help of ropes and special equipment)

rodeo
an exhibition of cowboy skills

rowing ; row
the act of rowing as a sport

rugby ; rugger
a form of football played with an oval ball

rule ; regulation
a principle or condition that customarily governs behavior; "it was his rule to take a walk before breakfast"; "short haircuts were the regulation"

run
move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time; "Don't run--you'll be out of breath"; "The children ran to the store"

run ; running
the act of running; traveling on foot at a fast pace; "he broke into a run"; "his daily run keeps him fit"


S ↑
sailing
riding in a sailboat

scuba
a device (trade name Aqua-Lung) that lets divers breathe under water; scuba is an acronym for self-contained underwater breathing apparatus

serve ; service
(sports) a stroke that puts the ball in play; "his powerful serves won the game"

shot ; pellet
a solid missile discharged from a firearm; "the shot buzzed past his ear"

shot ; shooter
a person who shoots (usually with respect to their ability to shoot); "he is a crack shot"; "a poor shooter"

silver
a soft white precious univalent metallic element having the highest electrical and thermal conductivity of any metal; occurs in argentite and in free form; used in coins and jewelry and tableware and photography

skate
sports equipment that is worn on the feet to enable the wearer to glide along and to be propelled by the alternate actions of the legs

skateboarding
the sport of skating on a skateboard

skating
the sport of gliding on skates

ski
narrow wood or metal or plastic runners used in pairs for gliding over snow

ski resort
a resort with lodging and facilities for skiing

skier
someone who skis

skiing
a sport in which participants must travel on skis

slalom
a downhill race over a winding course defined by upright poles

sled ; sledge ; sleigh
a vehicle mounted on runners and pulled by horses or dogs; for transportation over snow

soccer ; association football
a football game in which two teams of 11 players try to kick or head a ball into the opponents' goal

softball ; softball game
a game closely resembling baseball that is played on a smaller diamond and with a ball that is larger and softer

somersault ; somerset ; flip
an acrobatic feat in which the feet roll over the head (either forward or backward) and return

spoilsport ; killjoy ; wet blanket
someone who spoils the pleasure of others

sport ; athletics
an active diversion requiring physical exertion and competition

sport ; sportsman ; sportswoman
someone who engages in sports

sportswear
attire worn for sport or for casual wear

sprinter
someone who runs a short distance at top speed

stadium
a large structure for open-air sports or entertainments

stand
tiered seats consisting of a structure (often made of wood) where people can sit to watch an event (game or parade)

stand-in ; substitute
someone who takes the place of another (as when things get dangerous or difficult); "the star had a stand-in for dangerous scenes"; "we need extra employees for summer fill-ins"

starter ; dispatcher
the official who signals the beginning of a race or competition

steroid
any of several fat-soluble organic compounds having as a basis 17 carbon atoms in four rings; many have important physiological effects

stopwatch ; stop watch
a timepiece that can be started or stopped for exact timing (as of a race)

substitute ; replacement
a person or thing that takes or can take the place of another

surfing
the sport of riding a surfboard toward the shore on the crest of a wave

swim
travel through water; "We had to swim for 20 minutes to reach the shore"; "a big fish was swimming in the tank"

swimming ; swim
the act of swimming; "it was the swimming they enjoyed most": "they took a short swim in the pool"


T ↑
table tennis ; Ping-Pong
a game (trademark Ping-Pong) resembling tennis but played on a table with paddles and a light hollow ball

target ; butt
sports equipment consisting of an object set up for a marksman or archer to aim at

team ; squad
a cooperative unit (especially in sports)

team sport
a sport that involves competition between teams of players; "baseball is a team sport by golf is not"

tennis ; lawn tennis
a game played with rackets by two or four players who hit a ball back and forth over a net that divides the court

tennis ball
ball about the size of a fist used in playing tennis

throw
the act of throwing (propelling something with a rapid movement of the arm and wrist); "the catcher made a good throw to second base"

throw
propel through the air; "throw a frisbee"

time
an indefinite period (usually marked by specific attributes or activities); "he waited a long time"; "the time of year for planting"; "he was a great actor in his time"

time ; fourth dimension
the fourth coordinate that is required (along with three spatial dimensions) to specify a physical event

title
an identifying appellation signifying status or function: e.g. `Mr.' or `General'; "the professor didn't like his friends to use his formal title"

toss
(sports) the act of throwing the ball to another member of your team; "the pass was fumbled"

tournament ; tourney
a sporting competition in which contestants play a series of games to decide the winner

trainer
one who trains other persons or animals

trampoline
gymnastic apparatus consisting of a strong canvas sheet attached with springs to a metal frame; used for tumbling


U ↑
umpire ; ump
an official at a baseball game


V ↑
victory ; triumph
a successful ending of a struggle or contest; "a narrow victory"; "the general always gets credit for his army's victory"; "clinched a victory"; "convincing victory"; "the agreement was a triumph for common sense"

volleyball ; volleyball game
a game in which two teams hit an inflated ball over a high net using their hands


W ↑
water polo
a game played in a swimming pool by two teams of swimmers who try to throw an inflated ball into the opponents' goal

weightlift ; weightlifting
bodybuilding by exercise that involves lifting weights

win
a victory (as in a race or other competition); "he was happy to get the win"

win
be the winner in a contest or competition; be victorious; "He won the Gold Medal in skating"; "Our home team won"; "Win the game"

winger
(sports) player in wing position

winner ; victor
the contestant who wins the contest

workout
the activity of exerting your muscles in various ways to keep fit; "the doctor recommended regular exercise"; "he did some exercising"; "the physical exertion required by his work kept him fit"

wrestling
the sport of hand-to-hand struggle between unarmed contestants who try to throw each other down

wrestling
the act of engaging in close hand-to-hand combat; "they had a fierce wrestle"; "we watched his grappling and wrestling with the bully"