handball

noun

hand·​ball ˈhan(d)-ˌbȯl How to pronounce handball (audio)
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Still, the game turned on its head in the 61st minute when Nigeria was awarded a penalty after a handball from Nouhaila Benzina. Alasdair Howorth, New York Times, 27 July 2025 As recently as the several-year stretch from 2018 to 2021, Sporting KC twice finished atop the Western Conference standings of MLS (and was a proper handball and penalty-kick call away from finishing first in 2021). Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 30 Mar. 2025 Soliman was a handball player with Cairo’s Zamalek club, Mortada Mansour, the club’s former chairman, wrote on Facebook. Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 3 June 2025 Mexico’s 77th-minute winner through Edson Álvarez was originally ruled offside before being allowed following a review, but Pochettino took greatest issue with a handball no-call against defender Jorge Sánchez that had occurred about 10 minutes prior. Martin Rogers, New York Times, 7 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for handball

Word History

First Known Use

1704, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of handball was in 1704

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Cite this Entry

“Handball.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/handball. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.

Kids Definition

handball

noun
hand·​ball -ˌbȯl How to pronounce handball (audio)
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

More from Merriam-Webster on handball

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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