Sports vocabulary is essential for talking about games, exercises, and athletic activities. This guide covers common sports terms, equipment, positions, and actions.
Understanding sports vocabulary helps you describe activities, follow games, and participate in conversations about athletics. This guide covers key terms used in various sports and physical activities.
- Common sports and their names
- Equipment and gear vocabulary
- Positions and roles in team sports
- Action verbs used in sports
- Describing competitions and outcomes
Common Sports
Here are some of the most popular sports and their names in English:
- Soccer (Football)
- Basketball
- Tennis
- Baseball
- Swimming
- Running
- Volleyball
- Golf
- Hockey
- Cycling
Equipment
This section covers the names of common sports equipment:
- Ball
- Bat
- Racket
- Helmet
- Gloves
- Sneakers
- Jersey
- Swimsuit
- Goggles
- Net
Positions
Learn the names of common positions in team sports:
- Goalkeeper
- Forward
- Defender
- Midfielder
- Coach
- Captain
- Umpire/Referee
- Pitcher (Baseball)
- Catcher (Baseball)
- Wing (Hockey)
Actions
These are common verbs used to describe actions in sports:
- Run
- Jump
- Throw
- Catch
- Hit
- Kick
- Score
- Pass
- Dribble
- Swim
Competition
Vocabulary related to games, matches, and tournaments:
- Game
- Match
- Tournament
- Score
- Win
- Lose
- Draw
- Round
- Final
- Champion
¿Cómo se llama un evento único donde dos equipos o jugadores ___?
What is a single event where two teams or players compete called?
Match
A match is a single contest between two teams or players. A tournament includes many matches, rounds are stages within tournaments, and 'game' can be more general.
Last updated: Thu Jun 12, 2025
