Sport — Defs

01 n. That which diverts, and makes mirth; pastime; amusement.

1.
That which diverts, and makes mirth; pastime; amusement.
“It is as sport to a fool to do mischief.” — Prov. x. 23.

“Her sports were such as carried riches of knowledge upon the stream of delight.” — Sir P. Sidney.

“Think it but a minute spent in sport.” — Shak.
2.
Mock; mockery; contemptuous mirth; derision.
“Then make sport at me; then let me be your jest.” — Shak.
3.
That with which one plays, or which is driven about in play; a toy; a plaything; an object of mockery.
“Flitting leaves, the sport of every wind.” — Dryden.

“Never does man appear to greater disadvantage than when he is the sport of his own ungoverned passions.” — John Clarke.
4.
Play; idle jingle.
“An author who should introduce such a sport of words upon our stage would meet with small applause.” — Broome.
5.
Diversion of the field, as fowling, hunting, fishing, racing, games, and the like, esp. when money is staked.
6.
A plant or an animal, or part of a plant or animal, which has some peculiarity not usually seen in the species; an abnormal variety or growth. See Sporting plant, under Sporting.(Bot. & Zool.) See: Sporting
7.
A sportsman; a gambler.[Slang]

Phrases & compounds

In sport — in jest; for play or diversion.

Syn. Play; game; diversion; frolic; mirth; mock; mockery; jeer.

02 v. i. To play; to frolic; to wanton.

imp. & p. p. Sported; p. pr. & vb. n. Sporting

1.
To play; to frolic; to wanton.
“[Fish], sporting with quick glance, Show to the sun their waved coats dropt with gold.” — Milton.
2.
To practice the diversions of the field or the turf; to be given to betting, as upon races.
3.
To trifle.
4.
To assume suddenly a new and different character from the rest of the plant or from the type of the species; -- said of a bud, shoot, plant, or animal. See Sport, n., 6.(Bot. & Zool.) See: Sport

Syn. To play; frolic; game; wanton.

03 v. t. To divert; to amuse; to make merry; -- used with the reciprocal pronoun.

1.
To divert; to amuse; to make merry; -- used with the reciprocal pronoun.
“Against whom do ye sport yourselves?” — Isa. lvii. 4.
2.
To represent by any kind of play.
“Now sporting on thy lyre the loves of youth.” — Dryden.
3.
To exhibit, or bring out, in public; to use or wear; as, to sport a new equipage.[Colloq.]
4.
To give utterance to in a sportive manner; to throw out in an easy and copious manner; -- with off; as, to sport off epigrams.[R.]

Phrases & compounds

To sport one's oak — See under Oak, n.