hockey

American  

[hok-ee] / ˈhɒk i /

noun

1. ice hockey.

2. field hockey.

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hockey ¹ British  

/ ˈhɒkɪ /

noun

1. Also called (esp US and Canadian): field hockey.

   1. a game played on a field by two opposing teams of 11 players each, who try to hit a ball into their opponents' goal using long sticks curved at the end

   2. ( as modifier )

      hockey stick

      hockey ball

2. See ice hockey

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hockey ² British  

/ ˈhɒkɪ /

noun

1. Also: hawkey, horkey. dialect

   1. the feast at harvest home; harvest supper

   2. ( as modifier )

      the hockey cart

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Etymology

Origin of hockey

1520–30; earlier hockie, perhaps equivalent to hock- hook ¹ + -ie -ie

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Explanation

Hockey is short for ice hockey or field hockey, but it usually refers to ice hockey, the sport where people skate on ice and use big hockey sticks to whack a puck into a goal. For ice hockey, players wear protective gear and helmets. A flat puck is knocked across the ice with long, paddle-shaped sticks. Field hockey is similar, though there is less contact between players, and a ball, instead of a puck, is smacked with sticks. The origin of hockey is slightly unclear, although it may stem from the Middle French hoquet, "shepherd's staff," which resembles a hockey stick.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hockey

Underwater hockey hopes to become an Olympic sport.

From Barron's ● Oct. 23, 2026

The grading system is based on a one to five hockey mask scale, five being best.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2026

A quote from hockey legend Wayne Gretzky hangs in her office: "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take."

From Science Daily ● Oct. 19, 2026

But problems kept coming too, including organisers playing North Korea's national anthem for the South Korean hockey team.

From Barron's ● Oct. 4, 2026

It was shaped like a pinched hockey puck.

From "Aru Shah and the End of Time" by Roshani Chokshi

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