handball

American  

[hand-bawl] / ˈhændˌbɔl /

noun

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

2. the small, hard rubber ball used in this game.

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handball British  

/ ˈhændˌbɔːl /

noun

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

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

3. the small hard rubber ball used in this game

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

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verb

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

Usage

What does handball mean? Perhaps the most common use of the word handball is to refer to the rules violation in soccer (football) in which a player (other than the goalkeeper) touches the ball with their hand or part of their arm. Unrelatedly, there are two sports called handball: one is a team game in which two teams try to score points by throwing a ball into the opposing team’s goal, and another involves players striking a rubber ball against a wall with their hands. The word handball is also used to refer to the ball used in each of these games. The team sport that’s known as handball (or team handball) is similar to soccer in that scoring is achieved by getting the ball in the goal, except that the ball is handled with the hands and not the feet—and it’s played on a court similar to a basketball court. There are seven players on a team, including a goalkeeper, and players can run with the ball and dribble it. It is featured as an event in the Summer Olympic Games and is sometimes called Olympic handball. Another, less common version of team handball is played on a field. The other kind of handball, sometimes called wallball, is similar to squash or racquetball, except that players hit the ball with their (usually gloved) hands instead of a racket. Points are scored when one’s opponents cannot successfully hit the ball back against the wall. This kind of handball can be played on a court with four walls, three walls, or just one. It’s typically played one-on-one (singles) or with two teams of two (doubles). Example: I’ve never played team handball, but I used to play the one-on-one version with my cousin in Brooklyn.

Other Word Forms

• handballer
  noun

Etymology

Origin of handball

First recorded in 1400–50, handball is from the late Middle English word handballe. See hand, ball ¹

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

handball

In the quarterfinals of that tournament, with Germany leading 1-0 in the 40th minute, an obvious handball by Germany’s Torsten Frings kept out a shot from American Gregg Berhalter.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 12, 2026

Haaland, for example, also grew up cross-country skiing and playing handball while destroying records in what might have been his best sport of all: the long jump.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026

West Ham's Max Kilman should have been sent off for Dogso handball after a 66th-minute penalty had been awarded.

From BBC ● May 29, 2026

However, Collum described McLean's first-half call not to award Hearts a penalty for handball against Motherwell's Emmanuel Longelo as "good, accurate on-field decision making".

From BBC ● May 29, 2026

When we played handball on the side of our house, Uncle Tommy would turn the comer, coming from work.

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