spectator sport
noun
1
: a sport (such as football, baseball, ice hockey, etc.) that many people watch
2
: something that people watch other people do without becoming involved themselves
For many, politics has become a spectator sport.
Examples of spectator sport in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Some prefer it as a spectator sport.
—
Noel Brennan, CBS News, 9 Feb. 2026
That’s life playing the toughest position in America’s most popular spectator sport.
—Michael Silver, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2026
And $35 to watch the curling, which has never really caught on as a spectator sport here.
—Marla Jo Fisher, Oc Register, 31 Dec. 2025
Today cohost Dylan Dreyer just showed how golf can be a dangerous spectator sport.
—Sydney Bucksbaum, Entertainment Weekly, 17 Nov. 2025
Once restricted to an elite group of editors sitting in the front row at runway shows, critiquing collections has become a spectator sport, with millions delivering instant verdicts online.
—Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 3 Nov. 2025
Celebrity engagements are a spectator sport.
—Malaika Crawford, Vogue, 12 Sep. 2025
Building new businesses is not a spectator sport.
—Andrew Binns, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025
Democracy is not a spectator sport.
—Dan Gooding, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Aug. 2025
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Noel Brennan, CBS News, 9 Feb. 2026
That’s life playing the toughest position in America’s most popular spectator sport.
—Michael Silver, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2026
And $35 to watch the curling, which has never really caught on as a spectator sport here.
—Marla Jo Fisher, Oc Register, 31 Dec. 2025
Today cohost Dylan Dreyer just showed how golf can be a dangerous spectator sport.
—Sydney Bucksbaum, Entertainment Weekly, 17 Nov. 2025
Once restricted to an elite group of editors sitting in the front row at runway shows, critiquing collections has become a spectator sport, with millions delivering instant verdicts online.
—Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 3 Nov. 2025
Celebrity engagements are a spectator sport.
—Malaika Crawford, Vogue, 12 Sep. 2025
Building new businesses is not a spectator sport.
—Andrew Binns, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025
Democracy is not a spectator sport.
—Dan Gooding, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Spectator sport.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spectator%20sport. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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