hockey
Americannoun
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Also called (esp US and Canadian): field hockey.
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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
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( as modifier )
hockey stick
hockey ball
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See ice hockey
noun
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The 53-year-old Connecticut Democrat was at his son's hockey game when he began feeling "numbness in his arm" and was taken to hospital, his team said in a statement shared with US media.
From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2026
Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., was hospitalized after suffering a stroke Saturday afternoon while attending his son’s hockey game, his office announced Sunday.
From Salon ● Nov. 1, 2026
Hughes, named after hockey player Jack Hughes of the New Jersey Devils, wins the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and is a horse to watch for the 2027 Kentucky Derby.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2026
Many prefer soccer, a sport I find akin to hockey in slow motion played not on skates but in slippers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026
“No. My uncle’s not like that and he runs the place. There’s girls’ floor hockey going on right now too.”
From "Saints and Misfits" by S.K. Ali
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