rugby

noun

rug·​by ˈrəg-bē 

variants often Rugby

: 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

Yet Saturday’s game between the All Blacks, the world’s most famous international rugby team, and Ireland, whose supporters dominated the stands, offered Chicago a platform to remind the world of its merits. —Adam Crafton, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2025

The hilarious hijinks that ensue are centered on a rugby-playing rascal whose initial interests in pulling chicks and working get-rich-quick schemes give way to a lifelong love of writing poetry in the post-Soviet-occupation era of the 1990s. —Courtney Howard, Variety, 30 Oct. 2025

Tikkie McDonald, a spokesperson for Ekurhuleni’s emergency services, said the aircraft wanted to make an emergency landing on the school’s rugby grounds, South African media outlet News24 reported. —David Chiu, PEOPLE, 28 Oct. 2025

At one elementary school, ESF funded an after-school rugby program to help address chronic absenteeism. —Karen Billing, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Oct. 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