handball

[ hand-bawl ]

/ ˈhændˌbɔl /

noun

a game, similar to squash, played by two or four persons who strike a small ball against a wall or walls with the hand.

the small, hard rubber ball used in this game.

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Origin of handball

First recorded in 1400–50, handball is from the late Middle English word handballe. See hand, ball¹

OTHER WORDS FROM handball

hand·ball·er, noun

Words nearby handball

hand-wringing, handan, handba', handbag, handbags, handball, handbarrow, handbasket, handbell, handbill, handblown

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for handball

They play "blindman's buff," and "hunt the slipper," and handball and football.
Big People and Little People of Other Lands|Edward R. Shaw
And myself, I didn't go out for sports either, just football and handball; and that was it.
Warren Commission (8 of 26): Hearings Vol. VIII (of 15)|The President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy
Besides, your game is only half football; in fact, a combination of football and handball knocked into one.
Scottish Football Reminiscences and Sketches|David Drummond Bone
Technically, the term "handball" applies to the balls used in the game of Handball.
Games for the Playground, Home, School and Gymnasium|Jessie H. Bancroft

Thus the game is really a combination of football and handball.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 10, Slice 5|Various

British Dictionary definitions for handball

handball

/ (ˈhændˌbɔːl) /

noun

a game in which two teams of seven players try to throw a ball into their opponent's goal

a game in which two or four people strike a ball against a wall or walls with the hand, usually gloved

the small hard rubber ball used in this game

soccer the offence committed when a player other than a goalkeeper in his own penalty area touches the ball with a hand

verb

Australian rules football to pass (the ball) with a blow of the fist

Derived forms of handball

handballer, noun

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