carom
/ˈkær.əm/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈker.əm/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈker-əm How to pronounce carom (audio) ˈka-rəm/ (ame, mw) · /ˈkærəm/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈkærəm/ (ame, ipa)
carom — noun
1. a shot in cue sports where the white ball hits two other balls, one straight aft
a shot in cue sports where the white ball hits two other balls, one straight after the other, in one go
Yuna won the frame with a carom that touched both the black and yellow balls.
collocation: win with a carom / neat carom
Referee Kwon leaned over the green baize to check the carom before raising his hand for the point.
With a single clean carom, Chao earned three points without sending a single ball into a pocket.
Kwame practised the same carom shot for two hours until his aim was sharp.
- cannon
the standard British term for exactly the same billiard shot
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 2: this is the scoring shot itself, not the game variant.
2. a cue sport played on a table that has no pockets, where players score by making
a cue sport played on a table that has no pockets, where players score by making the cue ball touch two object balls in one stroke
Fatima discovered a dusty carom table tucked behind stacks of old chairs in the social club's basement.
Every Thursday at the veterans' hall, Anaya played carom with old school friends, matches often stretching late into the evening.
collocation: play carom at + place / with + people
Sven grew up playing carom with his grandfather on a heated slate table.
The carom tournament drew players from Belgium, Japan, and Egypt to the small town hall in rural Kerala.
- carambole
an alternative name for the same game, more common in French-influenced regions
- carom billiards
the fuller, more formal name for the pocketless game
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1: this names the whole game, not the individual shot.
3. an instance of something — usually a ball — hitting a surface and bouncing away
an instance of something — usually a ball — hitting a surface and bouncing away at a slant instead of straight back
The tennis ball took a wild carom off the net post and flew into the crowd.
collocation: took a wild carom / carom off + surface
Dmitri followed the puck's carom off the boards and caught it on his stick.
A sharp carom off the rough pitch sent the cricket ball flying past Ramesh's outstretched gloves.
The squash ball's carom off the back wall gave Yuki just enough time to reach the return.
- ricochet
suggests a faster, more violent bounce, often of a bullet or projectile
- glance
emphasises light, brushing contact rather than a full rebound
- deflection
focuses on the change of direction more than the bounce itself
用法筆記
Object is usually a ball, stone, or roundish thing. The carom is the bounce itself — not the original throw or hit that caused it.
常見錯誤
4. the small seed of the ajwain plant, used to add a sharp, herbal flavour in India
the small seed of the ajwain plant, used to add a sharp, herbal flavour in Indian and Middle Eastern cooking
Hassan added a small spoon of carom seeds to the hot vegetable soup.
You can find carom seeds at Patel Brothers on Oak Street, shelved right next to the cumin and mustard seeds.
Siobhan had never tasted carom before, but its sharp, thyme-like flavour surprised her.
Crush the carom seeds lightly before you stir them into the hot samosa filling.
用法筆記
Also called ajwain or ajowan. Found mainly in South Asian grocery shops. The flavour is sharp and herbal — closer to thyme than to cumin or fennel.
常見錯誤
carom — verb
- carompresent simple I / you / we / they
- caromshe / she / it
- caromedpast simple
- caroming-ing form
1. to strike a surface and fly away sideways at a sharp angle rather than bouncing
to strike a surface and fly away sideways at a sharp angle rather than bouncing straight back
The stone caromed off the wall and hit the lamp post with a loud bang.
Javier's kick caromed off a player's leg and rolled into the empty goal.
pattern: [subject] + caromed off + surface
A stray squash ball caromed from wall to wall in the empty court before rolling under the bench.
Hugo's shot caromed off the iron rim and flew back over the heads of the waiting defenders.
The tennis ball caromed off the net cord and landed just inside the baseline.
文法句型
carom off + surface
carom against + surface
用法筆記
Almost always followed by 'off' + the surface struck. Subject is typically a ball, stone, or other projectile. Contrast with verb sense 3, which is the technical transitive billiards use.
常見錯誤
2. to bounce unpredictably from one topic, activity, or place to another, without a
to bounce unpredictably from one topic, activity, or place to another, without any clear direction or control
At Priya's birthday dinner, talk caromed from wedding gossip to layoffs to the price of rice in under an hour.
pattern: carom from X to Y to Z (rapid topic shifts)
Mei-Lin's thoughts caromed between excitement and worry before the big exam.
For six months, Olu caromed from a café kitchen to a delivery van to a warehouse, never staying anywhere long.
The rumour about the merger caromed through the open-plan office on the eighth floor, growing wilder with each retelling.
Linh's mood caromed from tears to laughter and back again within a single afternoon.
- veer
suggests a sharp change of direction but lacks the bouncing, back-and-forth quality
- zigzag
emphasises the repeated changes of direction; more informal than carom
- bounce around
an informal phrasal verb with much the same meaning; carom is the more literary choice
文法句型
carom from + topic + to + topic
carom between + plural
用法筆記
Figurative use. Subject is abstract — conversations, thoughts, moods, careers. Compare with verb sense 1, which describes a physical bounce.
常見錯誤
3. to successfully play the billiard shot in which the cue ball hits two object bal
to successfully play the billiard shot in which the cue ball hits two object balls, one after the other
Amina caromed the white ball off the red and watched it roll gently against the yellow near the far cushion.
With only eight points left, Rashid needed to carom twice in a row without letting the white touch the floor.
Keiko caromed perfectly, sending her white ball into the blue and then the red in one smooth stroke.
The champion caromed three times in one break, drawing gasps from the silent crowd.
- cannon
the British verb for making the same shot; used identically in UK billiards commentary
文法句型
carom + the cue ball
carom + the white
用法筆記
Technical billiards term. Object is the cue ball. Compare with noun sense 1, which names the shot itself rather than the act of playing it.