touch rugby

British

noun

a limited-contact version of rugby in which players seek to evade being touched (rather than tackled) while in possession of the ball

"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

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.

David still plays touch rugby, and he represented the U.S. last year in the 55-and-over category at the 2024 Touch World Cup in England.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 10, 2025

Grab a rugby ball and some friends and head to the park for a game of touch rugby.

From BBC • Feb. 24, 2024

"The first time I noticed Ben he was out on a sports field playing touch rugby with kids three years older," says Smellie.

From BBC • Feb. 22, 2023

In October, in what was supposed to be a fun exhibition of touch rugby in Japan, he flattened Toki Sekiguchi, an astonished 10-year-old, by charging him with his shoulder.

From New York Times • Apr. 9, 2016

Prince Harry playing touch rugby in Rio de Janeiro.

From The Guardian • Mar. 8, 2013

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023