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)

croqueted, croqueting

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

Etymology

Origin of croquet

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

Example Sentences

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

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 20, 2026

And it’s hard to play a cutthroat game of croquet in your flower beds.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 18, 2023

Against an illustrated garden backdrop, some models carried tennis rackets or croquet mallets.

From Reuters • Sep. 15, 2023

At the end of the term last month at Eton, new students were in the town trying on cashmere uniform overcoats and shopping for color-coded socks for croquet, fencing or squash.

From New York Times • Jul. 6, 2023

There were pony rides, sparklers, bottle rockets, croquet, horseshoes, taffy pulls, and apple bobbing.

From "The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" by Jacqueline Kelly