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

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

He began as a hockey dad overseeing his three sons in Connecticut’s Mid-Fairfield Youth Hockey Association.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026

The coroner has already issued a prevention of future deaths report to Ice Hockey UK and the English Ice Hockey Association about the use of neck guards in the sport.

From BBC • Apr. 27, 2026

Hockey is a great pick if you want something fast-paced and entertaining, even if you’re not a die-hard fan.

From Salon • Mar. 31, 2026

But this week, the Hockey Hall of Fame began displaying that puck along with the one Megan Keller knocked into the net in overtime to give the U.S. women’s team gold in Milan.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 18, 2026

On the wall behind me a faded felt banner proclaimed: “1955 State Field Hockey Champions.”

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides