handball

noun

hand·​ball ˈhan(d)-ˌbȯl 

1

: a game played in a walled court or against a single wall or board by two or four players who use their hands to strike the ball

2

: a small rubber ball used in handball

Examples of handball in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

To this point, the match had been defined by spurious shouts for handball rather than any Tottenham attacking play. —Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 10 Nov. 2025

Thomas asked for a video review after spotting an uncalled handball in the box in the 75th. —Rachel Roberts, Idaho Statesman, 9 Nov. 2025

Poole brought Hudson even in the 56th minute when Marquette was called for a handball and Poole drove the penalty kick into the lower left corner. —Jim Hoehn, Twin Cities, 6 Nov. 2025

Newcastle head to Paris two years on from the last meeting at the Parc des Princes, when another Tino, defender Livramento, was punished for an extremely harsh handball late on, denying a famous victory. —Harry De Cosemo, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1704, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing handball

• team handball

Rhymes for handball

• aldol
• armhole
• atoll
• awol
• backhaul
• banal
• baseball
• befall
• cabal
• catchall
• cecal
• centrale

Kids Definition

handball

noun

hand·​ball -ˌbȯl 

1

: a game played in a walled court or against a single wall or board by two or four players who use their hands to strike a ball

2

: the ball used in handball