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

Perhaps caught out by the directness of City’s play, the near-side assistant referee was behind the play and did not flag for a handball. —Matt Pyzdrowski, New York Times, 18 May 2025

Things calmed down until the 89th minute, when Mexico was awarded a spot kick after the blatant handball from Córdoba inside his own penalty area. —Felipe Cardenas, The Athletic, 24 Mar. 2025

The foul was given for a handball against the Stars’ Maitane López. —Theo Lloyd-Hughes, Chicago Tribune, 14 Apr. 2025

In the 20th minute, the referee stopped the action during a Current corner kick to review a potential handball. —Fernando Ramirez, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Apr. 2025

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