water polo

American  

noun

1. an aquatic game played by two teams of seven swimmers each, the object being to score goals by pushing, carrying, or passing an inflated ball and tossing it into the opponent's goal, defended by a goalkeeper.

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water polo British  

noun

1. a game played in water by two teams of seven swimmers in which each side tries to throw or propel an inflated ball into the opponents' goal

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Etymology

Origin of water polo

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

water polo

Such a prolonged closure will send the more than 400,000 people who pour through the center’s turnstiles each year scrambling to find other places to swim, dive, play water polo and aqua-aerobicize.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2026

Scottish Swimming, the national governing body for swimming, diving, open water, artistic swimming and water polo in Scotland, said it was "disappointed" by South Ayrshire Council's decision.

From BBC ● Mar. 18, 2026

Sophia Panossian, a water polo player at the University of Michigan, urged viewers to help her “get ready with me” by checking Kalshi’s weather odds.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 6, 2026

The aspiring actor, who moved to Hollywood six months ago, was a lifeguard growing up and played water polo competitively.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 20, 2026

"Because I am still doing research on the relationship between water polo and epiphanies."

From "Will Grayson, Will Grayson" by John Green and David Levithan