carom

1 of 2

noun

car·​om ˈker-əm 

ˈka-rəm

1

a

: a shot in billiards in which the cue ball strikes each of two object balls

b

: a shot in pool in which an object ball strikes another ball before falling into a pocket compare combination shot

2

: a rebounding especially at an angle

carom

2 of 2

verb

caromed; caroming; caroms

intransitive verb

1

: to strike and rebound : glance

the car caromed off a tree

2

: to make a carom

3

: to proceed by or as if by caroms

carom from city to city

Synonyms of carom

Verb

• bounce
• rebound
• ricochet

Examples of carom in a Sentence

Verb

a ball caromed off the wall

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Landon Wolf was ready for the carom and one-timed a shot past Farrow. —Chris Hays, The Orlando Sentinel, 24 Feb. 2026

Because as Bam Adebayo attacked a second-quarter offensive rebound with seemingly nothing but open air space toward the rim, teammate Kel’el Ware had similar thoughts of contesting that same carom of that Davion Mitchell errant attempt. —Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 9 Feb. 2026

Verb

The puck popped into the air, came down, caromed off Cooley’s back and in. —Los Angeles Times, 2 Mar. 2026

The ball caromed off Bartlett’s foot, and Columbus pounced with Wessam Abou Ali eventually putting it into the back of the net. —Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 1 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

by shortening & alteration from obsolete carambole, from Spanish carambola

First Known Use

Noun

1779, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1860, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for carom

• arum
• ferrum
• harem
• alarum

Kids Definition

carom

1 of 2 noun

car·​om ˈkar-əm 

: a rebounding especially at an angle

carom

2 of 2 verb

: to strike and rebound at an angle