billiards

[ bil-yerdz ]

/ ˈbɪl yərdz /

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noun (used with a singular verb)

any of several games played with hard balls of ivory or 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. 1).

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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. 2022

How to use billiards in a sentence

Landon complained that the publication of the naked billiards photos had put “a real dampener” on the lads’ trip to Nevada.
Will Prince Harry’s Memoir Be Totally Honest About His ‘Wild Years’?|Tom Sykes|August 5, 2022|The Daily Beast
According to Huth’s claim, the three of them played billiards and Cosby also gave them alcohol, before later bringing them to the Playboy Mansion.
Bill Cosby Is Facing Another Trial. Here's What to Know About the Judy Huth Case|Josiah Bates|May 20, 2022|Time
After discovering he had been hacked, Alfonsi, the billiards company owner, reached out to Facebook for help securing his account.
Facebook Grew Marketplace to 1 Billion Users. Now Scammers Are Using It to Target People Around the World.|by Craig Silverman, A.C. Thompson and Peter Elkind|September 22, 2021|ProPublica
There’s a well-stocked library, a billiards room, the piano, a quiet courtyard, and, of course, the bar, which is open noon to midnight — fully stocked, self-serve, and complimentary.
Escape (safely) to Baltimore’s luxurious Ivy Hotel|Kevin Naff|December 4, 2020|Washington Blade

It is Harry's first return to the U.S. since being pictured naked during a game of strip billiards in a Las Vegas hotel.
Prince Harry's U.S. Tour: Rolling Updates and all the News and Pictures as It Happens|Tom Sykes|May 15, 2013|DAILY BEAST
It is his first return to the US since being pictured naked during a game of strip billiards in a Las Vegas hotel.
PRINCE HARRY LANDING IN WASHINGTON TODAY!!!|Tom Sykes|May 9, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Irizarry opened Bomba Billiards 10 months ago, and now says she fears she may never be able to reopen.
Residents in Red Hook, Brooklyn, Assess the Damage After Sandy|Eliza Shapiro|October 31, 2012|DAILY BEAST
He hung around artists, organized exhibitions, and bought and ran a billiards hall and bar.
This Week’s Hot Reads: Oct. 15, 2012|Mythili Rao|October 15, 2012|DAILY BEAST
One game that won't be played at the paralympics - strip billiards.
Yay! Harry Keeps Clothes On In New Paralympics Video Message!!|Tom Sykes|August 24, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Their generosity did not suffice for his dissipations, his cafe bills and his unbridled taste for billiards.
Repertory Of The Comedie Humaine, Complete, A -- Z|Anatole Cerfberr and Jules Franois Christophe
Besides this, there's billiards and gambling for the gentlemen, a little dancing for the gals, and scandle for the dowygers.
Memoirs of Mr. Charles J. Yellowplush|William Makepeace Thackeray
After one of my remonstrances Mr. Bradlaugh invited me to play a game of billiards.
Reminiscences of Charles Bradlaugh|George W. Foote
For other Captains not of a poetical turn, there are billiards, coffee-houses, and plenty of excellent beer and other liquor.
History Of Friedrich II. of Prussia, Vol. VII. (of XXI.)|Thomas Carlyle
Instead of playing billiards, however, Napoleon asked her to read to him from a book that he had lately received from England.
Napoleon's Young Neighbor|Helen Leah Reed

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