Sports & Competition

Overview

25 A2 words for talking about sports, competitions, and physical activities.

Words

athlete /ˈæθliːt/

noun — A2

Meaning: a person who is good at sports Examples:

• She’s a professional athlete.
• Olympic athletes train for years.

Word Family: athlete (n.) → athletic (adj.) → athletics (n.)

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beat /biːt/

verb — A2

Meaning: to defeat; to hit repeatedly Examples:

• We beat them 3-1.
• Her heart was beating fast.

Collocations: beat a record, beat a team, heartbeat

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champion /ˈtʃæmpiən/

noun — A2

Meaning: a person who wins a competition Examples:

• She’s the world champion.
• He became champion at age 20.

Collocations: world champion, defending champion

Word Family: champion (n.) → championship (n.)

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compete /kəmˈpiːt/

verb — A2

Meaning: to try to win against others Examples:

• Athletes compete from all over the world.
• She competed in the Olympics.

Word Family: compete (v.) → competition (n.) → competitive (adj.) → competitor (n.)

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defeat /dɪˈfiːt/

verb, noun — A2

Meaning: to win against; a loss Examples:

• They defeated the champions.
• It was a painful defeat.

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draw /drɔː/

noun — A2

Meaning: a game where both sides have equal points Examples:

• The match ended in a draw.
• It was a 2-2 draw.

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final /ˈfaɪnl/

adjective, noun — A2

Meaning: (adj.) last; (n.) the last game in a competition Examples:

• They reached the final of the Cup.
• This is my final answer.

Word Family: final (adj./n.) → finally (adv.) → finalist (n.)

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goal /ɡəʊl/

noun — A2

Meaning: a point scored; an aim Examples:

• He scored three goals.
• My goal is to learn Spanish.

Collocations: score a goal, achieve a goal, set a goal

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league /liːɡ/

noun — A2

Meaning: a group of teams competing against each other Examples:

• They play in the Premier League.
• She’s in a different league.

Collocations: league table, football league, out of one’s league

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match /mætʃ/

noun — A2

Meaning: a sports game; something that goes well together Examples:

• Did you watch the match?
• The colour is a perfect match.

Collocations: football match, perfect match, match against

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medal /ˈmedl/

noun — A2

Meaning: a metal disc given as a prize Examples:

• She won a gold medal.
• The team brought home three medals.

Collocations: gold medal, silver medal, win a medal

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opponent /əˈpəʊnənt/

noun — A2

Meaning: a person you compete against Examples:

• Her opponent was very strong.
• We study our opponents before each game.

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pitch /pɪtʃ/

noun — A2

Meaning: an area for playing sports Examples:

• The football pitch is wet.
• Players walked onto the pitch.

Collocations: football pitch, cricket pitch, on the pitch

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player /ˈpleɪər/

noun — A2

Meaning: a person who takes part in a game or sport Examples:

• He’s the best player on the team.
• She’s a tennis player.

Collocations: team player, key player, football player

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race /reɪs/

noun, verb — A2

Meaning: a competition of speed Examples:

• She won the race.
• They raced to the finish line.

Collocations: horse race, race against time, car race

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record /ˈrekɔːd/

noun — A2

Meaning: the best result ever achieved Examples:

• She broke the world record.
• He holds the record for most goals.

Collocations: world record, break a record, set a record

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score /skɔːr/

verb, noun — A2

Meaning: (v.) to get points; (n.) the number of points Examples:

• He scored twice in the match.
• What’s the score?

Collocations: final score, high score, score a goal

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stadium /ˈsteɪdiəm/

noun — A2

Meaning: a large building for sports events Examples:

• The stadium holds 80,000 people.
• We watched the game at the stadium.

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team /tiːm/

noun — A2

Meaning: a group of people working or playing together Examples:

• She’s on the basketball team.
• They work well as a team.

Collocations: team spirit, team member, team work

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tennis /ˈtenɪs/

noun — A2

Meaning: a sport played with rackets and a ball Examples:

• She plays tennis every weekend.
• Wimbledon is a famous tennis tournament.

Collocations: tennis court, tennis player, table tennis

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throw /θrəʊ/

verb — A2

Meaning: to send through the air with your hand Examples:

• Throw the ball to me!
• He threw the javelin 80 metres.

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tournament /ˈtʊənəmənt/

noun — A2

Meaning: a series of games to find the best player/team Examples:

• She entered the chess tournament.
• The tournament starts next month.

Collocations: football tournament, tennis tournament

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track /træk/

noun — A2

Meaning: a path; a course for racing Examples:

• They ran around the track.
• Follow the track through the forest.

Collocations: race track, track and field, keep track

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train /treɪn/

verb — A2

Meaning: to prepare for a sport by exercising Examples:

• She trains five days a week.
• He’s training for the marathon.

Word Family: train (v.) → trainer (n.) → training (n.)

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win /wɪn/

verb — A2

Meaning: to be the best or first in a competition Examples:

• We won the match 2-0.
• She won first prize.

Word Family: win (v.) → winner (n.) → winning (adj.)

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Quick Review

Word	Type	Meaning
athlete	n.	sports person
beat	v.	defeat
champion	n.	winner
compete	v.	try to win
defeat	v./n.	win against
draw	n.	tie
final	adj./n.	last; last game
goal	n.	point; aim
league	n.	team group
match	n.	sports game
medal	n.	prize disc
opponent	n.	rival
pitch	n.	sports field
player	n.	participant
race	n./v.	speed contest
record	n.	best result
score	v./n.	get points
stadium	n.	sports venue
team	n.	group
tennis	n.	racket sport
throw	v.	send in air
tournament	n.	series of games
track	n.	path; course
train	v.	prepare
win	v.	be first