Dictionary.com

Popular Searches

 Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

Rugby

American  
[ruhg-bee] / ˈrʌg bi /

noun

  1. Also called rugger.  Also called Rugby football.  Usually rugby a form of football, played between two teams of 15 members each, that differs from soccer in freedom to carry the ball, block with the hands and arms, and tackle, and is characterized chiefly by continuous action and prohibition against the use of substitute players.

  2. a town in Warwickshire, in central England.

  3. a coeducational preparatory school in Rugby, England, founded in 1567.

rugby 1 British  
/ ˈrʌɡbɪ /

noun

  1. Also called: rugger.  a form of football played with an oval ball in which the handling and carrying of the ball is permitted

  2. another name for Canadian football

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Rugby 2 British  
/ ˈrʌɡbɪ /

noun

  1. a town in central England, in E Warwickshire: famous public school, founded in 1567. Pop: 61 988 (2001)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of Rugby

Probably earlier than 1835–40 Rugby for def. 1; Middle English Rokeby, Rookby, Old English Rocheberie, possibly earlier Hrōcaburg, Hrōceburh (unrecorded) “Hroca's fort,” influenced by Old Norse býr “town, settlement”; borough ( def. )

Compare meaning

How does rugby compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"He's got a big left boot," Care told Rugby Union Weekly of Daly, who has won 74 caps for England and toured three times with the British and Irish Lions.

From BBC

Seb Atkinson and Tommy Freeman have not played a minute of rugby together as a centre partnership.

From BBC

A key area of Test rugby since the escort rule was changed, France have dominated every opponent in the air so far.

From BBC

"I knew the impact was big and as I got in to do the protocol I was starting to feel a bit hazy," Watson recalled in an interview with a new BBC documentary - Ben Youngs Investigates: How Safe Is Rugby?

From BBC

Watson, 32, who retired from rugby in January 2025 after failing to recover sufficiently from a back injury, says he has no regrets about prioritising that match over his health.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.