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• badminton
  badminton

  noun

  a game played on a rectangular court by two players or two pairs of players equipped with light rackets used to volley a shuttlecock over a high net that divides the court in half.
• Badminton
  Badminton

  noun

  a village in SW England, in South Gloucestershire unitary authority, Gloucestershire: site of Badminton House, seat of the Duke of Beaufort; annual horse trials

badminton

American  

[bad-min-tn] / ˈbæd mɪn tn /

noun

1. a game played on a rectangular court by two players or two pairs of players equipped with light rackets used to volley a shuttlecock over a high net that divides the court in half.

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badminton ¹ British  

/ ˈbædmɪntən /

noun

1. a game played with rackets and a shuttlecock, which is hit back and forth across a high net

2. Also called: badminton cup.  a long refreshing drink of claret with soda water and sugar

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Badminton ² British  

/ ˈbædmɪntən /

noun

1. a village in SW England, in South Gloucestershire unitary authority, Gloucestershire: site of Badminton House, seat of the Duke of Beaufort; annual horse trials

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Usage

What is badminton? Badminton is a sport in which light rackets are used to volley an object—called a shuttlecock, shuttle, birdie, or bird—back and forth over a high net. Unlike other similar sports, such as tennis, badminton is not played with a ball—the shuttlecock is a kind of feathered cone with a cork head. (A shuttlecock is also used in the related sport of battledore). Competitive badminton, which is featured as an event in the Olympic Games, is played on an indoor court and can consist of one-on-one play or doubles. The rules of badminton are similar to those of other sports that use nets, like tennis and volleyball: if a player hits the shuttlecock out of bounds or lets it touch the ground on their side of the court, their opponent(s) get a point. Badminton is also played recreationally, often as a casual yard game with multiplayer teams (less casual if Uncle Tahir is on your team). Example: You’ll see some lightning-quick reflexes in Olympic-level badminton. 

Etymology

Origin of badminton

First recorded in 1835–45; named after Badminton, the country seat of the duke of Beaufort in Gloucestershire, England

Explanation

Badminton is a racket sport like tennis, but instead of a ball, a funny looking feathered thing called a shuttlecock is whacked over the net. It’s best played on a lawn after brunch, while wearing white. This racket game, which dates to the 19th century, is named after the Duke of Beaufort's country estate. It’s the kind of game you’d play on a country estate while the children frolic, but it can also be very competitive — it’s been an Olympic sport since 1992. Badminton rackets are light with long handles, and the shuttlecock is hit back and forth like a ball. Like tennis, you can play singles (one on one) or doubles (two on two).

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

badminton Badminton

Carlos Kennerley, who lives in the same building as Veerappan, said when his 29-year-old daughter, Aisyah, came home from work, she would call him to meet her at the elevator—with a badminton racket in hand.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026

Events: Women’s cricket, equestrian mixed, women’s water polo, badminton mixed and women’s golf.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 7, 2026

Exporters in Zhangmutou showed AFP a vast range of products their pellets would become, including drones and badminton birdies.

From Barron's ● May 6, 2026

“In Vietnam, there’s pickleball courts all over the place. China is growing because their badminton courts can fit pickleball too.”

From MarketWatch ● May 1, 2026

From a distance it looked like I had been playing badminton and had a shuttlecock jammed up my nostril.

From "Dead End in Norvelt" by Jack Gantos

Badminton and squash were also scrapped and there will be no diving competitions.

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026

Little says that he’s suing now because his subsequent dismissal by USA Badminton has cost his firm upwards of $100,000 in fees, and damaged his reputation among prospective clients.

From Salon ● Mar. 16, 2025

Badminton players were startled by the turnout at Porte de la Chapelle.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2024

“I started badminton at age 7, at my choice,” she told the Badminton World Federation in 2020.

From New York Times ● May 8, 2024

We were doing our Net Sports Unit, which meant two weeks of Badminton, two weeks of Ping-Pong/Table Tennis, and the grande finale: two weeks of Volleyball.

From "Darius the Great Is Not Okay" by Adib Khorram