Sport vs. Sporting: What's the Difference?

An activity involving physical exertion and skill that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often undertaken competitively.

Used in or appropriate for sports

Often sports (used with a sing. verb) Such activities considered as a group

Characterized by sportsmanship.

A usually challenging activity undertaken for amusement

Of or associated with gambling.

Fun; amusement

Present participle of sport

Mockery; jest

(not comparable) Pertaining to sports

An object of mockery, jest, or play

(comparable) Exhibiting sportsmanship.

A joking mood or attitude

(comparable) Fair, generous; ‘game’.

One known for the manner of one's acceptance of rules, especially of a game, or of a difficult situation

Of or relating to unseemly male excesses, especially gambling, prostitution, or similar recreational activities.

(Informal) A fair-minded person, especially one who accepts teasing or difficult situations well

The act of taking part in a sport.

(Informal) A pleasant companion

Of, pertaining to, or engaging in, sport or sports; exhibiting the character or conduct of one who, or that which, sports.

A person who lives a jolly, extravagant life.

Marked by or calling for sportsmanship or fair play;

A gambler at sporting events.

Relating to or used in sports;

(Biology) An organism or a part of an organism that shows a marked change from the parent type, typically as a result of mutation.

Involving risk or willingness to take a risk;

(Obsolete) Amorous dalliance; lovemaking.

Preoccupied with the pursuit of pleasure and especially games of chance;

To play or frolic

To joke or trifle

To wear or have on one's body, especially prominently or ostentatiously

To have as a prominent feature

Of, relating to, or appropriate for sports

Designed or appropriate for outdoor or informal wear

(countable) Any activity that uses physical exertion or skills competitively under a set of rules that is not based on aesthetics.

(countable) A person who exhibits either good or bad sportsmanship.

(countable) Somebody who behaves or reacts in an admirably good-natured manner, e.g. to being teased or to losing a game; a good sport.

(obsolete) That which diverts, and makes mirth; pastime; amusement.

(obsolete) Mockery, making fun; derision.

(countable) A toy; a plaything; an object of mockery.

(uncountable) Gaming for money as in racing, hunting, fishing.

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. The term encompasses both mutants and organisms with non-genetic developmental abnormalities such as birth defects.

A sportsman; a gambler.

One who consorts with disreputable people, including prostitutes.

An amorous dalliance.

A friend or acquaintance (chiefly used when speaking to the friend in question)

(obsolete) Play; idle jingle.

(intransitive) To amuse oneself, to play.

(intransitive) To mock or tease, treat lightly, toy with.

(transitive) To display; to have as a notable feature.

(reflexive) To divert; to amuse; to make merry.

(transitive) To represent by any kind of play.

To practise the diversions of the field or the turf; to be given to betting, as upon races.

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.

(transitive) To close (a door).

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

Mock; mockery; contemptuous mirth; derision.

That with which one plays, or which is driven about in play; a toy; a plaything; an object of mockery.

Play; idle jingle.

Diversion of the field, as fowling, hunting, fishing, racing, games, and the like, esp. when money is staked.

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.

A sportsman; a gambler.

To play; to frolic; to wanton.

To practice the diversions of the field or the turf; to be given to betting, as upon races.

To trifle.

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

To represent by any kind of play.

To exhibit, or bring out, in public; to use or wear; as, to sport a new equipage.

To give utterance to in a sportive manner; to throw out in an easy and copious manner; - with off; as, to sport off epigrams.

An active diversion requiring physical exertion and competition

The occupation of athletes who compete for pay

Someone who engages in sports

(biology) an organism that has characteristics resulting from chromosomal alteration

(Maine colloquial) temporary summer resident of inland Maine

Verbal wit (often at another's expense but not to be taken seriously);

Wear or display in an ostentatious or proud manner;

Play boisterously;