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

Alan Rothenberg recalls the challenges the Kings faced in their early years as the team tried to establish Jack Kent Cooke’s vision for hockey in L.A.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026

South Korea were also victims of a mix-up when the national anthem for North Korea was played for the South's hockey team.

From Barron's ● Oct. 4, 2026

Richard said it was massive to bring it back: "I may be a little bit biased but I think it's the biggest story in UK ice hockey this year."

From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026

He attended the Lawrenceville School, a private school in New Jersey, where he played varsity ice hockey and baseball and wrote for the student newspaper, according to the school’s social media.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026

Football, field hockey, cheerleading—everybody was milling around the gym, high-fiving, kicking the football.

From "Crash" by Jerry Spinelli

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