sports drink

noun

: a drink that consists mainly of water, electrolytes (such as sodium or potassium), and carbohydrates (such as sucrose or fructose) and that is designed to replenish those substances in the body during or after usually strenuous exercise

"Dan was with me the whole day," Huard said after the game, while sipping a sports drink to combat dehydration.

—Peter King

Sports drinks such as Gatorade or Powerade should generally be avoided in favor of water unless you're doing an intense workout. That's because some sports drinks contain more than 30 grams of added sugar …, and you may not need its carb- and electrolyte-heavy fuel if you're just going for a 45-minute easy ride.

—Danielle Zickl

Examples of sports drink in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Athletes are increasingly business savvy and launching brands that tap into their star power, from apparel to sports drinks. —Melissa Houston, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025

Cupcake icing and sports drinks — in all their crayon-like colors — are the final frontiers for Nick Scheidler's team. —Alina Selyukh, NPR, 8 Sep. 2025

Salt has the additional benefit of replacing electrolytes, which is why it’s commonly found in bottled and powdered sports drinks. —Lisa Cericola, Southern Living, 30 Aug. 2025

Experts agree that restricting specific items from SNAP, like soft drinks, sports drinks or snacks, won’t make people healthier. —Matt Kandrach, Boston Herald, 10 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1967, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for sports drink

• bethink
• downlink
• groupthink
• hoodwink
• rethink
• uplink
• blink
• brink
• chink
• cinque
• clink
• dink