Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Relating to or used in sports: Pertaining to athletic activities, games, or competitions.
   • Exhibiting or calling for sportsmanship or fair play: Characterized by or requiring fairness, honesty, and generous behavior in competition.
   • Preoccupied with the pursuit of pleasure, especially games of chance: Involving or inclined toward gambling or risky ventures.

Examples of Usage

• Relating to sports:
  • The city built new sporting facilities for the community.
  • He works in the sporting goods industry.
• Exhibiting fair play:
  • It was very sporting of him to admit the fault.
  • They reached a sporting agreement to share the prize.
• Involving risk or gambling:
  • He has a sporting interest in horse racing.
  • Investing in that startup is a sporting proposition.

Advanced Usage

• "sporting chance": a reasonable chance of success, often involving some risk.
  • The underdog team has a sporting chance to win the championship.
• "sporting blood": a natural inclination or enthusiasm for sports, competition, or risky ventures.
  • His sporting blood led him to try skydiving.

Variants and Related Words

• Sport (n/v): The general activity or a specific game; to wear or display.
• Sportsmanlike (adj): Behaving in a fair and generous manner, similar to "sporting" in its fair play sense.
• Unsporting (adj): Not fair or generous; lacking in sportsmanship.

Synonyms

• Athletic: Relating to sports or physical prowess.
• Fair: Just and appropriate, especially in competition.
• Gambling: Taking risky action in the hope of a desired result.

Related Phrases

• Sporting event: A competition or game in athletics.
• Sporting life: A lifestyle associated with leisure, pleasure-seeking, or gambling.

Idioms

• A sporting gesture: An act that is generous, fair, or gracious, especially in a competitive context.
  • Offering to replay the point was a true sporting gesture.

Adjective

1. preoccupied with the pursuit of pleasure and especially games of chance
   • led a dissipated life
   • a betting man
   • a card-playing son of a bitch
   • a gambling fool
   • sporting gents and their ladies
2. involving risk or willingness to take a risk
   • a sporting chance
   • sporting blood
3. relating to or used in sports
   • sporting events
   • sporting equipment
4. exhibiting or calling for sportsmanship or fair play
   • a clean fight
   • a sporting solution of the disagreement
   • sportsmanlike conduct