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

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

Nearly 60 swastikas and antisemitic language were found two days later painted on a slide, a wall on the handball court and a sidewalk. —Mark Prussin, CBS News, 22 Jan. 2026

After board members and police toured the playground, the vandals returned Tuesday night, drawing more than 25 swastikas on the playground equipment, the sidewalk and the handball courts, bringing the total over two days to 57. —Julian Roberts-Grmela, New York Daily News, 22 Jan. 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