stickball

[ stik-bawl ]

noun

a form of baseball played in the streets, on playgrounds, etc., in which a rubber ball and a broomstick or the like are used in place of a baseball and bat.

Origin of stickball

An Americanism dating back to 1815–25; (broom)stick + ball¹

Although there’s a developed campground on the 19-acre lake, a mile away, dispersed camping is allowed on the expansive, grassy Ball Field, named after the stickball played here by Cherokee tribes as a means to resolve conflicts.
The Best Free Campsites in All 50 States | mturner | July 28, 2022 | Outside Online
One day we were playing punchball—like stickball, only you used your fist to hit a Spaldeen or a bald tennis ball.
Mel Brooks Is Always Funny and Often Wise in This 1975 Playboy Interview | Alex Belth | February 16, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Remember those quaint ethnic communities, once teeming with stickball games and eggplant-shaped old women wielding rolling pins?
Weren’t Those the Bad Old Days? The Poison of New York City Nostalgia | Michael Moynihan | January 6, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
He was photographed playing stickball in the streets of Harlem and had pop songs written about him.
Baseball's Greatest Player? | Allen Barra | February 19, 2010 | THE DAILY BEAST
He knew the general rules of big-league baseball, but the kid-business of stickball did not register.
The Fourth R | George Oliver Smith

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