Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Showing results for lacrosse. Search instead for lacrosses.

lacrosse

American  
[luh-kraws, -kros] / ləˈkrɔs, -ˈkrɒs /

noun

  1. a game, originated by Indians of North America, in which two 10-member teams attempt to send a small ball into each other's netted goal, each player being equipped with a crosse or stick at the end of which is a netted pocket for catching, carrying, or throwing the ball.


lacrosse British  
/ ləˈkrɒs /

noun

  1. a ball game invented by Native Americans, now played by two teams who try to propel a ball into each other's goal by means of long-handled hooked sticks that are loosely strung with a kind of netted pouch

"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

Etymology

Origin of lacrosse

1710–20, < Canadian French: literally, the crook (stick used in the game). See crosse


Explanation

Lacrosse is a team sport in which players carry a ball in the net of a long-handled racket, throw it to each other, and try to score points by getting the ball into a goal. Both men and women play lacrosse, mostly on high school and college teams. Lacrosse players carry a long stick with a netted head for cradling the small rubber ball. In women's lacrosse, the stick must be moving back and forth to keep the ball from falling out. The game now known as lacrosse was invented by indigenous people of North America as early as AD 1100. Lacrosse comes from the French Canadian jeu de la crosse, "game of the hooked sticks."

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing lacrosse

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.

See Examples For:

So Trent dabbled in football, basketball, soccer and lacrosse.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026

Callum Robinson was a member of Australia's national lacrosse team and lived in San Diego where he was a professional lacrosse player.

From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026

Callum Robinson played professional lacrosse in the United States.

From Barron's ● Sep. 7, 2026

A Muslim whose parents emigrated from Egypt, he graduated from the University of Michigan, where he was on the lacrosse team.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026

She’s stretched out on the bed in her Bras Prep lacrosse shorts and a T-shirt, with an open calculus book in her lap.

From "Dear Martin" by Nic Stone

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

Get a word

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Join 14,000,000 vocabulary learners

Start learning new words today on VocabTrainer.
You'll remember them forever.

Start training