knucklebones

British

/ ˈnʌkəlˌbəʊnz /

noun

(functioning as singular) a less common name for jacks

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

Then I’d fish or challenge followers to a game of knucklebones.

From The Verge • Aug. 29, 2022

With its assorted pieces and knucklebones, the game is “jolly fiddly, jolly fancy,” Finkel said.

From The New Yorker • Mar. 26, 2019

Stefan’s knucklebones: Pele’s dramatic retirement puts Ray Lewis’ to shame.

From Slate • Feb. 4, 2013

Mike’s knucklebones: Myanmar hopes to win the 2013 Southeast Asian Games by eliminating its weakest sports, including baseball and bowling, while adding wushu, bodybuilding, and “traditional boat race.”

From Slate • Feb. 4, 2013

At the time of the Gelidonya wreck, people also “threw” knucklebones to receive a sign from the gods.

From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023