I found a phrase, ‘the new tablet of iPad can sport at least one camera for video conferencing’ in today’s Washington Post article reporting iPad 2. I guess ‘Sport’ here implies ‘chase (move) after plural objects' or ‘Catch' them, because it says 'at least one camera.' But I’m not accustomed to the word, ‘sport’ used in a such way.
COD at hand gives only two meanings of ‘Sport’ as a verb, – 1. to have or wear sth in a proud way so that everyone can see. 2. to play in a happy and lively way. In addition to the above definition, an English Japanese dictionary (Readers Plus Dictionary) provides ‘play with other sex’ and ‘give’ as slang usages, and I can’t find the definition anything near to the context used in the following sentence.
What does ‘Sport’ here exactly mean? Is this common way of using ‘Sport’ as a verb?
A report from the Wall Street Journal says that Apple has begun production of the next generation of the iPad. The Wall Street Journal, citing people familiar with the matter, claims that the new tablet will be thinner and lighter, will sport at least one camera for video conferencing and will have better graphics and a more memory.
Best Answer
Oishi-san: @Kosmonaut's, @SLaks', and @yorkensei's answers are all correct, but I think see where you are getting confused.
To "sport" something is to have it visible, or "show it off". Really, all it means in this context is that the new iPad has a camera and wants you to be impressed with that.
If you were sporting a new wristwatch, you would be wearing it in a way that implies you are proud of it. You would be hoping others would look and point and be impressed. In Japanese you would hope people were saying: あれ見て！すごいだよ！