billiards

noun, plural in form but singular in construction bil·liards \ -yərdz \

|Updated on: 1 Aug 2018

Definition of billiards

: any of several games played on an oblong table by driving small balls against one another or into pockets with a cue; specifically : a game in which one scores by causing a cue ball to hit in succession two object balls — compare pool

Recent Examples of billiards from the Web

Castle Hyde,’ which has a billiards room decorated in an African safari theme and an indoor recreation complex with a swimming pool.

— katherine clarke, WSJ, "‘Lord of the Dance’ Michael Flatley Relists Irish Manor for $14.5 Million," 28 June 2018
Elsewhere, there’s a breakfast nook, a theater room, a wet bar, a sauna, a gym, a billiards room and a family room with a curved wall of windows.

— jack flemming, latimes.com, "Son of former Disney CEO sells Little Holmby mansion for a record $12.8 million," 13 June 2018
There is a lacquered library, a velvety billiards room and a dining room with its own bar.

— shannon rooney, Philly.com, "Three suburban Philly pools fit for an epic staycation," 5 June 2018
The formal dining room opens to a step-down living room, which shares a two-sided flagstone fireplace with a billiards/game room.

— neal j. leitereg and lauren beale, latimes.com, "Hot Property: A potpourri of sorts," 31 Mar. 2018
Joe Bogdovics, of Roebling, New Jersey, and his wife Debbie were in Atlantic City this week for a billiards tournament usually held at Bally’s.

— Washington Post, "At 40, are Atlantic City casinos healing or courting danger?," 11 May 2018
The 5,800-square-foot house features an eat-in kitchen, five bedrooms and a billiards room with a wet bar.

— neal j. leitereg, sacbee, "Golden State Warriors star Kevin Durant buys Malibu beachfront property for $12.05 million | The Sacramento Bee," 6 May 2018
To the right of the entryway is a billiards room with views of the pool area through a series of tall windows with plantation shutters.

— carol riordan, courant.com, "Property of the Week: 59 Papermill Road, Glastonbury," 28 Dec. 2017
There is a large fitness room, a billiards room with two tables, a large a reading room, as well as offices and an arts and crafts room, among others.

— steve smith, Courant Community, "New Senior Center Opens," 24 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'billiards.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

The word billiards refers to any of various games played on a cloth-topped, cushion-railed rectangular table by driving small, hard balls against one another or into pockets, with a long stick called a cue. Carom, or French billiards, is played with three balls, two white and one red, on a table without pockets. The object is to stroke the white cue ball so that it hits the two object balls in succession, scoring a carom (one point). English billiards is also played with three balls, but on a pocketed table; it is scored in various ways. Snooker is another popular British billiards game. The principal billiards game in North America is pocket billiards, or pool. The Billiard Congress of America controls US tournament play, including the US Open Pockets Billiard Championship, regarded as the world championship.