croquet

American  

[kroh-key, kroh-key, -kee] / kroʊˈkeɪ, ˈkroʊ keɪ, -ki /

noun

1. a game played by knocking wooden balls through metal wickets with mallets.

2. (in croquet) the act of driving away an opponent's ball by striking one's own when the two are in contact.

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verb (used with object)

croquets, present (3rd person singular) croqueted, past participle, past croqueting present participle

1. to drive away (a ball) by a croquet.

croquet British  

/ ˈkrəʊkeɪ, -kɪ /

noun

1. a game for two to four players who hit a wooden ball through iron hoops with mallets in order to hit a peg

2. the act of croqueting

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verb

1. to drive away (another player's ball) by hitting one's own ball when the two are in contact

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

• croqueting
  present
• croqueted
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• croquet
  simple
• croquets
  simple
• have croqueted
  perfect
• has croqueted
  perfect
• am croqueting
  progressive
• are croqueting
  progressive
• is croqueting
  progressive
• have been croqueting
  perfect progressive
• has been croqueting
  perfect progressive

Past

• croqueted
  simple
• had croqueted
  perfect
• was croqueting
  progressive
• were croqueting
  progressive
• had been croqueting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will croquet
  simple
• will have croqueted
  perfect
• will be croqueting
  progressive
• will have been croqueting
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of croquet

1855–60; < French (dial.): hockey stick, literally, little hook; see crocket

Explanation

Croquet (rhymes with “okay”) is a lawn game played by whacking a wooden ball with a mallet. It was all the rage in Europe in the 1800s, but people still play it worldwide, often at summer parties. When you play croquet, you have a colored wooden ball and a matching mallet. Players take turns trying to hit their balls under a series of hoops or to knock someone else’s out of the way. When Alice is in Wonderland, the Queen of Hearts uses a flamingo as a mallet and a hedgehog for a ball, but that is not recommended. In Northern French dialect, croquet means "hockey stick," originally "shepherd's crook" in Old North French.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

croquet croquets croqueted croqueting

Eighteenth century activities included croquet and designing a custom perfume, all accompanied by fashion photography.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 4, 2026

It’s croquet for people who like running on the tops of speeding trains.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 20, 2026

He was also photographed playing croquet with his staff on the lawn at Dorneywood, the official country home that came with the job of deputy prime minister.

From New York Times ● Nov. 21, 2024

But, in a further embarrassment, he felt compelled to give up his country pile, Dorneywood, after being pictured on its lawns playing croquet with his staff - an image at odds with his down-to-earth reputation.

From BBC ● Nov. 21, 2024

With one eye on the sky, I rested under a croquet hoop to catch my breath and rest my bulging bag.

From "Secrets at Sea" by Richard Peck

Greenspan calls the dough for croquets — little more than egg whites and nuts — a “misbehaver,” but mine was, strangely, not.

From Washington Post

We sent out free goat cheese croquets with fresh fig jam to every person who came in to eat.

From "The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora" by Pablo Cartaya

If he roquets a friend, he croquets his ball into better position, or perhaps through its proper bridge.

From Croquet As played by the Newport Croquet Club by Anonymous

The guests were not seated, but stood up and enjoyed the croquets, game, salads, ices, and creams.

From Perley's Reminiscences, v. 1-2 of Sixty Years in the National Metropolis by Poore, Benjamin Perley

Having drained the parsley, cover the bottom of a dish with it, and lay the croquets upon it.

From Directions for Cookery, in its Various Branches by Leslie, Eliza

England wing Abby Dow and her star-struck Spanish opposite number Claudia Perez exchanging a croqueted keyring, a hand-drawn portrait and shirts, external after their match last month was an irresistible example.

From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2025

The lineal descendant of St. Peter croqueted his ball through the arch and rejoiced that he was on saving ground.

From The Story of Chautauqua by Hurlbut, Jesse Lyman

It was while they were off, apart down the slope, just croqueted away for the time, to come up again with tremendous charge presently, that Harry asked her if she knew the game of "ship-coil."

From We Girls: a Home Story by Whitney, A. D. T. (Adeline Dutton Train)

As he has no bridges to run he can never re-roquet, and hence after he has roqueted and croqueted all the other balls his tour terminates at the next blow.

From Croquet As played by the Newport Croquet Club by Anonymous

Here the player’s ball proceeds a greater distance than the croqueted ball, but in somewhat the same direction.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 7 "Crocoite" to "Cuba" by Various

“Yankees are a deal the most tricky, everybody knows. There you go!” returned Fred, croqueting her ball far away.

From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott

After croqueting, he attempts to run the bridge and fails.

From Croquet As played by the Newport Croquet Club by Anonymous

Any one of the roquets may be declined and made again after croqueting the other balls in their proper order.

From Croquet As played by the Newport Croquet Club by Anonymous

No. The right to re-roquet must be acquired after croqueting or moving the playing ball.

From Croquet As played by the Newport Croquet Club by Anonymous

A rover, but no other ball, may roquet-croquet a roqueted ball instead of croqueting it.

From Croquet As played by the Newport Croquet Club by Anonymous