handball

noun

hand·​ball ˈhan(d)-ˌbȯl 

1

: a game played in a walled court or against a single wall or board by two or four players who use their hands to strike the ball

2

: a small rubber ball used in handball

Examples of handball in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Heading into the finale, optician Woo Sung-min, handball coach Shin Hyeon-woo, and The Trunk actor Jo I-geon were all vying for Kim Go-eun’s heart. —Kayti Burt, Time, 10 Feb. 2026

Before ski jumping, for example, the Prevc children were encouraged to take part in football, handball, tennis and athletics. —Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2026

Iñaki Urdangarín, former husband of Infanta Cristina, competed in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, helping to win the bronze medal for Spain in handball. —Stefania Conrieri, Vanity Fair, 5 Feb. 2026

Kansas City believed two of Empire’s three goals should have been disallowed for handball offenses, including a late first-half score that gave the Strykers a 2-1 lead. —Nathan Dunn, Kansas City Star, 2 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1704, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing handball

• team handball

Rhymes for handball

• aldol
• armhole
• atoll
• awol
• backhaul
• banal
• baseball
• befall
• cabal
• catchall
• cecal
• centrale

Kids Definition

handball

noun

hand·​ball -ˌbȯl 

1

: a game played in a walled court or against a single wall or board by two or four players who use their hands to strike a ball

2

: the ball used in handball