What does sportsmen mean?
Sportsmen is the plural of sportsman and denotes men who take part in sports, particularly as competitors. It can refer collectively to a team, as in “the tournament’s leading sportsmen,” or to male participants in a particular activity, as in “the match was watched by many sportsmen.” The word commonly appears in reporting about athletics, cricket, football, boxing, and other competitive sports. Its use is not restricted to Britain or the United States, although British English traditionally distinguishes the plural -men from the form sportswomen. In modern contexts, athletes, players, competitors, or sportspeople may be used instead when the writer wants to avoid a specifically gendered expression. Sportsmen is also found in older sporting literature, where it may evoke professionalism, skill, fair play, or the traditional culture of amateur competition. Together with the related noun sportsman, it forms a familiar sporting vocabulary and remains conventional in headlines, historical writing, and descriptions of organized sport.
plural nounPlural of sportsman; men who participate in sports, especially as competitors.
- Men who participate in sports, especially as competitors.
"The country's leading sportsmen gathered for the annual championship."
"Veteran sportsmen from across the country competed in the final."
"The club has produced several outstanding sportsmen over the years."
Sportsmen is the standard plural of sportsman, with the regular change from -man to -men.
"The best sportsmen in the country were invited to compete."
One sportsman becomes a whole team in an instant: simply add “men.”
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does sportsmen come from?
The singular sportsman was formed in the early 17th century from sport and man. Its plural sportsmen followed the regular -men plural, a pattern that later also produced the gender-marked counterpart sportswoman. The sporting sense ultimately draws on a wider European vocabulary associated with athletics, including athlete, athletic, and athletics, which come through Latin from Greek roots relating to contests and competition.
Related word forms
How sportsmen is actually used
Sportsmen is the standard plural of sportsman. In contemporary writing, players, athletes, or sportspeople may be preferred when a gender-neutral term is appropriate.
Easily confused with sportsmen
Sportsman is the singular noun, while sportsmen is its standard plural form.