What does "hockey" mean?
Any of a family of sports in which hockey sticks are used to move a ball or puck into a goal.
Hockey
/ˈhɒki/ name, noun, slang
name, noun, slang ·Moderate ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Any of a family of sports in which hockey sticks are used to move a ball or puck into a goal.
- Grammar: hockey is listed as name, noun, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: field hockey, ice hockey, bingo, checkers.
- Useful contrasts: nonhockey, nonhockey equipment, nonhockey gear.
- Usage evidence: Sometimes hockey players get so competitive that fights break out.
How to use "hockey"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "hockey" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "hockey" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "hockey" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "hockey" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "hockey" is acting as name, noun, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "field hockey" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "hockey", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Any of a family of sports in which hockey sticks are used to move a ball or puck into a goal. uncountable
- 2 Feces, excrement. US, slang, uncountable
"“I thought she'd just gone to pee but I reckon she must be making hockey too.”"
- 3 Alternative form of oche. alt-of, alternative, dated
"As has been mentioned, Darts of to-day is essentially a "public-house game," and in pretty nearly every inn, club, or institute where it has a footing (and in which has it not!) will be found minor variations in play and often games that are peculiar to the locality or even to the "school" itself. […] And in this domestic circle, at all events, it is thought that this set of Rules will prove a useful guide when taken in conjunction with what has already been said as regards the board, its position, the hockey-line, etc."
- 4 Alternative form of hawkey (“harvest supper”). alt-of, alternative
- 5 a game played on an ice rink by two opposing teams of six skaters each who try to knock a flat round puck into the opponents' goal with angled hockey sticks wordnet
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 Field hockey, a team sport played on a pitch on solid ground where players have to hit a ball into a net using a hockey stick. Commonwealth, uncountable
"He helped his team beat the opponent at hockey 11-9 in a high-scoring match."
- 7 a game resembling ice hockey that is played on an open field; two opposing teams use curved hockey sticks try to drive a ball into the opponents' net wordnet
- 8 Ice hockey, a game on ice in which two teams of six players skate and try to score by shooting a puck into the opposing team's net, using their sticks. Canada, US, uncountable
"US stadiums are packed in the winter to see ice hockey."
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"Sometimes hockey players get so competitive that fights break out."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "hockey"?
Common synonyms include: field hockey, ice hockey, bingo, checkers, chess, discipline.
How do you use "hockey" in a sentence?
Sometimes hockey players get so competitive that fights break out.
How do you pronounce "hockey"?
Pronounced /ˈhɒki/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
16th century, of unknown origin. Possibly related to hook due to the curvature of the stick, or from French hoquet.
Etymology 2
See oche.
Etymology 3
Apparently a habitational surname from a lost or unidentified place in southern England.