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

When Minnesota cycled the carom back to Quinn Hughes, the Olympic star didn’t miss. —Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 10 May 2026

The Stars got a juicy carom off the end boards late in the middle frame to take their first lead of the night, when Mavrik Bourque pounced on a loose puck at the top of the crease. —Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 1 May 2026

Verb

Pulverized, the iron core likely caromed off the moon after initially digging deep into the lunar mantle and scattering traces of magnetized terrain across the south pole. —Dan Vergano, Scientific American, 11 May 2026

Eldridge’s solo shot in the fifth inning against right-hander Braxton Ashcraft smacked the top of the right field arcade and caromed into McCovey Cove. —Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 10 May 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
• antiserum

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