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Rugby

[ ruhg-bee ]
/ ˈrʌg bi /
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noun
a city in E Warwickshire, in central England.
a boys' preparatory school located there: founded 1567.
Also rugby. Also called rugger, Rugby football. a form of football, played between two teams of 15 members each, that differs from soccer in freedom to carry the ball, block with the hands and arms, and tackle, and is characterized chiefly by continuous action and prohibition against the use of substitute players.

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Origin of Rugby

Probably earlier than 1835–40 for def. 3
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Rugby in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for Rugby (1 of 2)

rugby

rugby football

/ (ˈrʌɡbɪ) /

noun
Also called: rugger a form of football played with an oval ball in which the handling and carrying of the ball is permitted
Canadian another name for Canadian football

Word Origin for rugby

C19: named after the public school at Rugby, where it was first played

British Dictionary definitions for Rugby (2 of 2)

Rugby
/ (ˈrʌɡbɪ) /

noun
a town in central England, in E Warwickshire: famous public school, founded in 1567. Pop: 61 988 (2001)
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
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