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

Here’s a snapshot of how five different sportswear companies — Lafayette 148, L’Agence, Ramy Brook Cinq à Sept and LoveShackFancy — are planning their businesses for the last four months of the year, and what’s on their minds regarding tariffs, prices and international expansion. —Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 4 Sep. 2025

American Eagle shares jumped more than 8% on Wednesday after the retailer announced a collaboration with Kelce's sportswear brand Tru Kolors. —Alex Harring, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2025

The collection, which AE said has been more than a year in the making, was positioned as an extension of Kelce’s sportswear and lifestyle brand built on connection and self-expression. —Andre Claudio, Sourcing Journal, 27 Aug. 2025

Rhiannon Fiskradatz’s costumes evoke both summer camp and 1950s casual sportswear. —Sheila Regan, Twin Cities, 22 Aug. 2025

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