sportswear

noun

sports·​wear ˈspȯrts-ˌwer 

1

: clothing designed for casual or informal wear

… American designer Claire McCardell, one of the pioneers, in the 1940's, of the casual school of fashion known as sportswear, … established that she would never make a dress without pockets—women needed a place to put their hands, she said.

—Bernadine Morris

Isaia has moved quickly to pivot its in-house production, supplementing flamboyant suiting with casual sportswear and all the pieces a man needs to dress down his suits and sport coats.

—Robb Report

Mix-and-match monochrome is the latest trend in sportswear separates …

—Dana Dickey

2

: clothing designed to be worn for sports or fitness training

… showed off her incredible abs as she poses in the gym wearing sportswear.

—James Brinsford

… the Boston-based sportswear brand unveiled tennis star Coco Gauff's new signature tennis shoe …

—Victor Deng

Football sportswear refers to specially designed sportswear products that offer enhanced physical movement and comfort to the players. They include a wide range of products, consisting of jerseys, pants, shorts, socks, and shoes, that are utilized by athletes for training and playing purposes.

—ResearchAndMarkets.com

Examples of sportswear in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In recent years, Nike has lost major athletes Lamine Yamal, Harry Kane, and Ousmane Dembélé to competitor brands, reflecting its waning dominance in the performance sportswear market. — Joe Bobowicz, Vogue, 2 Oct. 2026

Most notably, the Gel-Transcend FJ gets inspiration from the Japanese sportswear company’s 1990s hiking and walking shoes such as the Gel-Odyssey, Gel-Radius and the original Gel-Transcend series. — Riley Jones, Footwear News, 29 Sep. 2026

Check out sportswear and accessories in a time-warp atmosphere at Bahle’s and enjoy the Hop Lot Brewing beer garden. — Mike Norton, Midwest Living, 26 Sep. 2026

The German sportswear brand also sponsors a number of W and Unrivaled players, including Kelsey Plum, Kahleah Copper and Aliyah Boston. — Sara Germano, Sportico.com, 23 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1903, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for sportswear

• abwehr
• affair
• affaire
• airfare
• altair
• armchair
• aware
• beware
• bugbear
• carfare
• childcare
• compare

Kids Definition

sportswear

noun

sports·​wear ˈspō(ə)rt-ˌswa(ə)r 

ˈspȯ(ə)rt-, 

-ˌswe(ə)r

: clothes suitable for sports or for casual or informal wear