stickball

noun

stick·​ball ˈstik-ˌbȯl How to pronounce stickball (audio)
: baseball adapted for play in streets or small areas and using a broomstick and a lightweight ball

Examples of stickball in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The takes, visible on documentary film, of Mays playing stickball up on St. Nicholas Place are also reminders that New York at that time was largely segregated. Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 21 June 2024 As a player for the New York Giants, Mays lived on St. Nicholas Place, blocks from work, and would play stickball with kids in the street in the mornings before and evenings after games at the Polo Grounds. David K. Li, NBC News, 19 June 2024 There was no stickball in the streets of San Francisco; when Mays bought a home in a white neighborhood, a brick was thrown through his front window. Gary Peterson, The Mercury News, 19 June 2024 For example, many Native Americans played stickball, a lacrosse-like game in which players hurl a ball down a field, to settle disputes between tribes without resorting to violence. Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 5 Mar. 2024 See all Example Sentences for stickball 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'stickball.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1878, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of stickball was in 1878

Dictionary Entries Near stickball

Cite this Entry

“Stickball.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stickball. Accessed 20 Sep. 2024.

Kids Definition

stickball

noun
stick·​ball ˈstik-ˌbȯl How to pronounce stickball (audio)
: baseball played on the street or in a small area with a broomstick and a lightweight ball

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