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 2023, the Chinese sportswear giant Anta Group acquired a 75.13 percent stake in Maia Active and later named Zhao Guangxu its CEO. —Denni Hu, Footwear News, 7 Apr. 2025

Both sportswear brands source heavily on Asian factory hubs, with about half of Nike and 39% of Adidas sneakers made in Vietnam. —Mark Faithfull, Forbes.com, 7 Apr. 2025

Ruby the bulldog belongs to the CEO of Lacrosse Unlimited, Edgewood, New York, the company specializing in sportswear behind the video. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 20 Mar. 2025

In 2024, Gaines became the first brand ambassador for the activist sportswear brand XX-XY Athletics. —Jackson Thompson, Fox News, 1 Mar. 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