shuttlecock

American  

[shuht-l-kok] / ˈʃʌt lˌkɒk /

noun

shuttlecocks plural

1. Also called shuttle.  the object that is struck back and forth in badminton and battledore, consisting of a feathered cork head and a plastic crown.

2. the game of battledore.

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verb (used with object)

1. to send or bandy to and fro like a shuttlecock.

verb (used without object)

1. to move or be bandied to and fro.

adjective

1. of such a state or condition.

   a shuttlecock existence.

shuttlecock British  

/ ˈʃʌtəlˌkɒk /

noun

1. Often shortened to: shuttle.  a light cone consisting of a cork stub with feathered flights, struck to and fro in badminton and battledore

2. anything moved to and fro, as in an argument

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verb

1. to move or cause to move to and fro, like a shuttlecock

Usage

What is a shuttlecock? A shuttlecock is the object that’s volleyed back and forth over the net with rackets in the sports of badminton and battledore. It’s not a ball—it consists of a cork head and a feathered cone. It can also be called a shuttle, birdie, or bird. The feathered part of the shuttlecock may consist of actual feathers (usually from a goose) or synthetic materials. Traditional shuttlecocks weigh about 5 grams (. 18 ounces) and have 16 feathers attached to the top. The shuttlecock is best-known for its use in badminton, but it is also used in the lesser-known sport of battledore, which is sometimes called battledore and shuttlecock. The word shuttlecock is sometimes also used in a figurative way to refer to something moved back and forth, or as a verb meaning to move back and forth or send something to and fro—a reference to the way that a shuttlecock is volleyed back and forth. Example: The movements of the shuttlecock are much different than those of a ball and make badminton a dynamic game. 

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• shuttlecocks
  plural

Etymology

Origin of shuttlecock

First recorded in 1515–25; shuttle + cock ¹

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

shuttlecock shuttlecocks

Struck repeatedly and energetically at both ends of the room, the shuttlecock flies high.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 13, 2026

Kids ride electric hoverboards, or they may play da cau, a sport dating back nearly 1,500 years that involves kicking a shuttlecock.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 24, 2024

"We studied the flow by examining aerodynamic forces on the shuttlecock as well as its deformations at each flight speed," said author Sanjay Mittal.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 9, 2024

For her piece, Badminton Cloche, Ms Shillingford combined a cloche hat with its badminton shuttlecock inspiration.

From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2023

But I stayed out a few minutes longer with Adèle and Pilot—ran a race with her, and played a game of battledore and shuttlecock.

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë

Traditional shuttlecocks are made of 16 duck or goose feathers - each taken from the same wing to give the correct flight and spin as feathers from different wings curve differently.

From BBC ● Apr. 8, 2026

Shuttlecocks, also known as birdies or birds, are traditionally made from duck feathers, but nylon shuttlecocks have become more widely used because of their superior durability.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 9, 2024

Sports are represented in the form of tiny windsurfers and badminton shuttlecocks, and he has acquired some oddities, like helicopters, pencil stubs, abacuses and matchbooks.

From New York Times ● Jul. 21, 2016

The 1930s Nelson-Atkins Museum, for one, is known for its collection of Chinese paintings, as well as the 17-foot-tall shuttlecocks on its lawn.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 6, 2016

Out sprang a splendid battledore and a shower of shuttlecocks.

From Boys and Girls Bookshelf (Vol 2 of 17) Folk-Lore, Fables, And Fairy Tales by Baltzell, W. J. (Winton James)