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

"Our study opens up the possibility for improved designs that make the nylon shuttlecock structurally stiffer so that it more closely mimics the aerodynamic performance of feather shuttlecocks," said 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

In rotating each new scene toward Nora on the turntable, Lloyd highlights the transfer of information from character to character as if it were a shuttlecock — or contraband.

From New York Times ● Mar. 9, 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

Badminton's world governing body has approved the use of synthetic shuttlecocks in selected tournaments amid a shortage of duck and goose feathers.

From BBC ● Apr. 8, 2026

In Physics of Fluids, by AIP Publishing, a trio of scientists in India explored the aerodynamic performance of nylon shuttlecocks at various flight speeds.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 9, 2024

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

With its straight-man-in-drag conceit, and quips flying like shuttlecocks between Tracy and Rexy, the play sometimes assumes the artificial air of a sitcom.

From New York Times ● Sep. 9, 2015

A game, similar to lawn tennis, played with shuttlecocks.

From Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (2nd 100 Pages) by Noah Webster