billiards

[ bil-yerdz ]
/ ˈbɪl yərdz /

noun (used with a singular verb)

any of several games played with hard balls of ivory or of a similar material that are driven with a cue on a cloth-covered table enclosed by a raised rim of rubber, especially a game played with a cue ball and two object balls on a table without pockets.Compare pool2 (def. 8).

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Origin of billiards

First recorded in 1585–95; plural of billiard

OTHER WORDS FROM billiards

bil·liard·ist, noun

Words nearby billiards

billhook, billiard, billiard ball, billiard parlor, billiard room, billiards, billiard table, Billi Bi, Billie, billing, billing cycle
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for billiards

British Dictionary definitions for billiards

billiards
/ (ˈbɪljədz) /

noun (functioning as singular)

any of various games in which long cues are used to drive balls now made of composition or plastic. It is played on a rectangular table covered with a smooth tight-fitting cloth and having raised cushioned edges
a version of this, played on a rectangular table having six pockets let into the corners and the two longer sides. Points are scored by striking one of three balls with the cue to contact the other two or one of the twoCompare pool 2 (def. 5), snooker

Word Origin for billiards

C16: from Old French billard curved stick, from Old French bille log; see billet ²
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