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

Milan defender Zachary Athekame's goal from a corner was ruled out in the 75th minute for a handball. —ABC News, 15 Mar. 2026

The defender’s miserable night was compounded when Dominik Szoboszlai’s corner bobbled into the net off him for an apparent equaliser that was quickly ruled out due to handball. —James Pearce, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2026

Heading into the finale, optician Woo Sung-min, handball coach Shin Hyeon-woo, and The Trunk actor Jo I-geon were all vying for Kim Go-eun’s heart. —Kayti Burt, Time, 10 Feb. 2026

Iñaki Urdangarín, former husband of Infanta Cristina, competed in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, helping to win the bronze medal for Spain in handball. —Stefania Conrieri, Vanity Fair, 5 Feb. 2026

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