racketball

Racketball is a fast-paced indoor court sport played with rackets and a small hollow ball. It is usually played by two people as singles or by four people as doubles. The game resembles squash because players strike the ball against a front wall and use side walls to control its rebound, but racketball has its own service rules and a smaller court. Accurate serving, quick reactions, and positioning are especially important. Although most closely associated with the United States and Canada, the sport is also played in other countries where courts and organized leagues are available. As a word, racketball may name either the game itself or, rarely, one of the balls used in play. The term is most naturally used with verbs such as play and with references to courts, matches, and equipment.

An indoor court sport played with rackets and a small hollow ball, usually by two or four players. It resembles squash but is played on a smaller court, with rules emphasizing the serve and the rebounding ball.

Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.

Etymology of racketball

Racketball is a compound formed in the mid-20th century from racket and ball, reflecting the equipment used to play the game. The sport itself was invented in the United States in the 1950s, and its name follows the English word racket, a spelling variant of racquet. The compound spread internationally as the game became established in clubs and competitive leagues.

How racketball is actually used

When referring to the sport, racketball is normally treated as an uncountable noun. As a countable noun, it denotes an individual ball used in the game.

Easily confused with racketball

Words and phrases paired with racketball

Rhymes with racketball