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

Bold stripes, another hallmark of the rugby shirt, are also gaining ground among the street-style crowd, as are polo collars, meaning this is one of the easiest ways to buy into several of the season’s biggest trends. —Jake Henry Smith, Glamour, 15 Sep. 2025

His son's rugby team wanted to help. —Ronnie Li, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025

From connecting with hip-hop artist Grand Puba at JFK to delivering the iconic Tommy Jeans rugby worn by Snoop Dogg’s during his Saturday Night Live debut in 1994, Andy was on the pulse of culture and trends. —Doug Melville, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025

Related Stories The original March investigation revealed that the five companies shared competitively sensitive information on 15 occasions about rates paid to freelance camera operators, sound technicians and producers working on major football games and rugby tournaments. —Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 9 Sep. 2025

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