rugby

noun

rug·​by ˈrəg-bē 

often capitalized

: a football game in which play is continuous without time-outs or substitutions, interference and forward passing are not permitted, and kicking, dribbling, lateral passing, and tackling are featured

Examples of rugby in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Leicester Tigers, an English rugby team, finished at the bottom of the sport’s Premiership in 2019, just about missing relegation. —Prarthana Prakash, Fortune Europe, 20 Apr. 2024

Twenty-nine countries boycotted the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal to protest the fact that New Zealand’s rugby team had toured apartheid South Africa. —Daniel Arkin, NBC News, 17 Apr. 2024

Siya Kolisi, as the captain of the national rugby team, is right at the center. —Trevor Noah, TIME, 17 Apr. 2024

In 2021, World Rugby and Prevent Biometrics teamed up with the University of Otago to conduct a study in New Zealand, one of the few places where people were still playing community rugby during the coronavirus pandemic. —Jeffrey Tomik, Washington Post, 2 Apr. 2024

Around the world, players are grappling to deal with the impact of head injuries sustained during their rugby careers. —Issy Ronald, CNN, 19 Mar. 2024

The Australian rugby league competition will kick off its season under the the bright lights at Allegiant Stadium with a pioneering double-header. —Vitas Carosella, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024

Andrew Postal, a sophomore from Andover, Mass., brought fellow rugby players to the frozen pond, while Caitlin Kincaid, a senior from Colorado Springs, Colo., enlisted 10 members of the Colby Woodsmen Team, skilled in sawing wood and swinging axes. —Jenna Russell Tristan Spinski, New York Times, 6 Apr. 2024

Elsewhere The San Diego Legion are off this weekend; the pro rugby team next plays April 14 against NOLA Gold at Snapdragon Stadium. —Ivan Carter, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Rugby School, Rugby, England

First Known Use

1864, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

rugby

noun

rug·​by ˈrəg-bē 

often capitalized

: a football game between two teams in which play is continuous and the team that has the ball may run with it, kick it, or pass it sideways or backward but is not allowed to block or make forward passes

Etymology

named for Rugby School in England where the game was first played

Geographical Definition

Rugby

geographical name

Rug·​by ˈrəg-bē 

town on the Avon River in Warwickshire, central England population 71,000