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Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

handball en · NOUN

Pronunciation

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Germanic *handuz Proto-West Germanic *handu Old English hand Middle English hond English hand Proto-Indo-European *bʰel-der. Proto-Germanic *balluz Old English *beall Middle English bal English ball English handball From hand + ball.

Meanings

  1. (countable, uncountable) A ball. ▸ A ball held in, or thrown with, the hand, especially one used for one of the various games in later senses, below.
    • Cranly took a small grey handball from his pocket and began to examine it closely, turning it over and over. 1916, James Joyce, chapter V, in A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, New York, N.Y.: B[enjamin] W. Huebsch, →OCLC:
  2. (archaic, countable, uncountable) A ball. ▸ The hollow rubber ball squeezed to produce spray from a perfume bottle or other atomizer.
  3. (countable, uncountable) A game. ▸ Any of various traditional ball games played outside between two goals often at a considerable distance from each other.
  4. (countable, uncountable) A game. ▸ Any of several games similar to fives, in which a ball is hit by the hand against a wall or within a walled court (the chief variants now being Gaelic handball and American handball).
  5. (uncountable) A game. ▸ A sport played on a rectangular court between two teams of seven players each, using a small ball struck only with the hands; team handball.
  6. (Australia, uncountable) A game. ▸ A schoolyard game in which a bouncy ball is struck with the hand, played on an improvised court on the asphalt or pavement.
  7. (countable, qualifier:Australian rules football) An action. ▸ An act of passing a football by holding it with one hand and hitting it with the other.
  8. (countable) An action. ▸ The offence of a player other than the goalkeeper touching the ball with the hand or arm on the field during play.
    • It was a dramatic finish to an absorbing, fast-paced game but Blackburn will be deeply unhappy with referee Anthony Taylor as Nzonzi's handball was harsh. 2011 October 29, Neil Johnston, “Norwich 3 - 3 Blackburn”, in BBC Sport:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
handballs Number=Plur lexicographic

Deriveds

handball player · field handball · handball alley · underground handball

Descendants

handebol · haendboal’ · andebol

Hyponyms

American handball · Irish handball · Gaelic handball

Synonyms

Olympic handball (team sport involving throwing a ball into a goal) · European handball (team sport involving throwing a ball into a goal) · sport involving bouncing a ball off a wall · team handball (team sport involving throwing a ball into a goal)

Translations (118)

nb handball (ball in team sport) · hy ձեռնագնդակ (team sport) · pl ręka (football offence) · ga láimhseáil (football offence) · sh rukometna lopta (ball in team sport) · fr handball américain (American: sport) · hy հանդբոլ (team sport) · is handknattleikur (team sport) · ga liathróid láimhe (team sport) · tr hentbol topu (ball in team sport) · ca handbol (team sport) · sv handboll (ball in team sport) · kl håndboldi (team sport) · gl balonmán (team sport) · kk қол добы (team sport) · az əltopu (team sport) · pt mão (football offence) · fi käsi (football offence) · ru гандбо́л (team sport) · el χέρι (football offence) · hi हेन्डबोल (team sport) · ja 送球 (team sport) · pt handebol (team sport) · ko 핸드볼 (team sport) · ko 송구 (team sport) · fr balle de handball américain (American: ball) · uk зя́бра (football offence) · hu kézilabda (ball in team sport) · fr ballon (ball in team sport) · be гандбо́л (team sport) · uk гандбо́л (team sport) · de Handspiel (football offence) · pl piłka ręczna (team sport) · ja ハンドボール (team sport) · de Handball (ball in team sport) · nn handball (ball in team sport) · hu kezezés (football offence) · fr main (football offence) · es balonmano (team sport) · tr solungaç (football offence) · eu eskubaloi (team sport) · nn handball (team sport) · fi käsikosketus (football offence) · ka ხელბურთი (team sport) · vi bóng ném (team sport) · sv handboll (team sport) · sl rokomet (team sport) · ja ハンド (football offence) · tr hentbol (team sport) · vi banh để liệng (team sport) · lv rokasbumba (team sport) · sv hands (football offence) · eo manpilkado (team sport) · pl szczypiorniak (team sport) · tr el topu (team sport) · nl hands (football offence) · zza helpeze (football offence) · sq hendboll (team sport) · lv handbols (team sport) · mk ракомет (team sport) · ar كُرَة يَد (team sport) · el χάντμπολ (team sport) · bg хандбал (team sport) · ja ハンドリング (football offence) · sk hádzaná (team sport) · nl handbal (team sport) · cmn 手球 (team sport) · es handball (team sport) · bg игра с ръка (football offence) · pt bola de handebol (ball in team sport) · ro handbal (team sport) · fr balle (American: ball) · cy pêl-law (team sport) · sw mpira wa mkono (team sport) · ko 핸드볼공 (ball in team sport) · da håndbold (ball in team sport) · ro henț (football offence) · eo manbalo (team sport) · is handbolti (team sport) · ru ручно́й мяч (team sport) · ko 핸들링 (football offence) · xmf ხებურთი (team sport) · nl handsbal (football offence) · cs házená (team sport) · fr handball (team sport) · it pallamano (team sport) · sh rukomet (team sport) · nb håndball (team sport) · mt ħendbol (team sport) · pt andebol (team sport) · sl rokometna žoga (ball in team sport) · nb håndball (ball in team sport) · fi käsipallo (team sport) · uk жа́бри (football offence) · az həndbol (team sport) · vi lỗi chạm tay (football offence) · da håndbold (team sport) · de Handball (team sport) · nb handball (team sport) · nl handbal (ball in team sport) · fo handbóltur (team sport) · pt bola de andebol (ball in team sport) · sh рукомет (team sport) · fr ballon de handball (ball in team sport) · mk ракоме́тна топка (ball in team sport) · hu kézilabda (team sport) · de Hand (football offence) · is handbolti (ball in team sport) · ja ハンドボール (ball in team sport) · fi käsipallo (ball in team sport) · fr balle (ball in team sport) · sw mpira (team sport) · eo handbalo (team sport) · el χειροσφαίριση (team sport) · cy llawiad (football offence) · sh igranje rukom (football offence) · lt rankinis (team sport) · cy pêl law (ball in team sport)

handball en · VERB

Pronunciation

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Germanic *handuz Proto-West Germanic *handu Old English hand Middle English hond English hand Proto-Indo-European *bʰel-der. Proto-Germanic *balluz Old English *beall Middle English bal English ball English handball From hand + ball.

Meanings

  1. (transitive) To manually load or unload a container, trailer, or to otherwise manually move bulk goods (often on pallets) from one type of transport receptacle to another.
  2. To illegally touch the ball with the hand or arm.
    • If the defender handballs in the penalty area, a penalty is awarded.
  3. (qualifier:Australian rules football) To (legally) pass a football by holding it with one hand and hitting it with the other.
    • On only 8 occasions during the entire match did players who had marked the ball decide not to walk slowly and purposefully back and take their kick, but instead play on by handballing to a team mate. 2009, John P. Devaney, Full Points Footy: Encyclopedia of Australian Football Clubs, page 246:
    • Meanwhile, you can introduce the basic concept of Aussie rules through a game like lineball, a lead-up game introduced in the basketball section of chapter 10, but with the ball handballed, not thrown. 2001, Jerry R. Thomas, Alan G. Launder, Jack K. Nelson, Play Practice: The Games Approach to Teaching and Coaching Sports, page 111:
    • An obvious way in which football has changed over the last decade or two has been in the use of handballing. 2005, Andrew McLeod, Trevor D. Jaques, Australian Football: Steps to Success, page 9:
  4. (Australia, slang) To pass responsibility for a task or problem to someone else, often to avoid dealing with an undesirable task or a tricky question.
    • I might handball that question to Dr Parkinson or somebody who has a better view of the morphology of the portfolio than I do. 2006 February 15, Senator Brandis, Economics Legislation Committee Estimates (Senate), page 12:
    • Now six months into the role I have come to learn that the boss’s idea of empowering and delegating is actually handballing or passing off tasks that they actually should be performing themselves. 2022 August 26, Jonathan Rivett, “My boss is handballing rather than delegating tasks. What should I do?”, in The Sydney Morning Herald:
    • The shortage has taken time to develop and despite the government trying to handball' the problem to the states, it has happened on its watch. 2005 March 17, Bob Hogg, “Paradox of the Howard era”, in Australian Financial Review:
    • I am finding that she's a difficult patient in more ways than one! for that reason I'll handball her off to our senior podiatrist if symptoms persist. 2009 June 9, Matt Kimball, “Help with diagnosis and management of localised dorsal midfoot pain.”, in Podiatry Arena:
  5. (slang) To insert a hand into someone's anus.

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
handballed Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
handballed Tense=Past lexicographic
handballs Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres lexicographic
handballing Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part lexicographic

Synonyms

handle · offload