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

Members dressed in white could be seen playing croquet on the lawn overlooking Biscayne Bay that day, attendees said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026

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

From Los Angeles Times ● May 4, 2026

It turned out the guests who rented the waterfront home weren’t just playing croquet, they were holding a tournament that ended shortly after sunset, but the celebration continued.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 21, 2023

In the grounds there are cottages, a large greenhouse, walled garden, follies, fountain and croquet lawn.

From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2023

The summer stretched golden in front of us with promises of picnics and fish frys, blackberry hunts and croquet games till dark.

From "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou

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

It chose croquets de pomme de terre, which were placed on the chair in a spoon, lest the spirit, whose manners were rustic, should break a plate. 

From Cock Lane and Common-Sense by Andrew Lang

Place upon it, two inches from the edge, minced fowl or game, prepared as for croquets, and rolled up between two teaspoons in balls the size of a nutmeg.

From Dressed Game and Poultry à la Mode by Harriet A. de Salis

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 Eliza Leslie

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

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

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

Not croqueting is sufficient evidence of declining; but if none are croqueted, and the ball is not moved to the side of any one, the player must declare which he means to decline.

From Croquet As played by the Newport Croquet Club by Anonymous

If a croqueted ball is interrupted, the croquet may be repeated.

From Croquet As played by the Newport Croquet Club by Anonymous

“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

Case.—A misplaying ball runs a bridge after croqueting its partner through his proper bridge.

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

Not croqueting the ball is evidence enough of having declined, as there could never be any advantage in declining the croquet and not the roquet, if it can properly be declined.

From Croquet As played by the Newport Croquet Club by Anonymous

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

From Croquet As played by the Newport Croquet Club by Anonymous