hockey

IPA/ˈhɒki/
KK[hˈɑki]IPA/ˈhɑːki/

hockey — noun

1. An outdoor team game where two groups of eleven people use curved sticks to hit

1.nounA2
Definition

An outdoor team game where two groups of eleven people use curved sticks to hit a firm ball past the goalkeeper and into the opponents' goal.

Example

The school hockey team practises every Tuesday afternoon on the grass field.

hockey team / hockey + noun modifier

Vikram scored the winning goal in the final minute of the hockey match.

score + goal + in + hockey match

Common collocations
  • hockey pitch
  • hockey ball
  • hockey stick
  • field hockey
  • hockey match
Synonyms
  • field hockey

    the explicit name used to distinguish this sport from ice hockey

Grammar Patterns

play + hockey

hockey + noun (as modifier)

Usage Note

In the United Kingdom, Australia, and many Commonwealth countries, 'hockey' alone refers to this field version. In North America, 'hockey' by itself usually means ice hockey, so speakers add 'field' to clarify.

Common Mistakes

I play hockey on ice with a puck.
I play ice hockey on ice with a puck.
Without the word 'ice', 'hockey' in many places refers to field hockey, which uses a ball, not a puck.
She scored with a hockey puck.
She scored with a hockey ball.
Field hockey uses a hard ball; ice hockey uses a puck.

2. A fast game on ice where six skaters per side carry long sticks to strike a flat

2.nounA2
Definition

A fast game on ice where six skaters per side carry long sticks to strike a flat rubber object, the puck, and try to send it past the opposing goalkeeper into the net.

Example

Christopher watched an ice hockey game at the indoor arena with his uncle.

ice hockey game / watch + at [venue]

The players glided across the ice and passed the puck quickly to one another.

pass + puck / glide across the ice

Common collocations
  • hockey rink
  • ice hockey
  • hockey puck
  • ice skates
  • hockey helmet
Synonyms
  • ice hockey

    the full name that explicitly identifies this version of the sport

Grammar Patterns

play + hockey

hockey + noun (as modifier)

Common Mistakes

He plays hockey with a ball on ice.
He plays ice hockey with a puck on ice.
Ice hockey uses a puck, not a ball, and the full name 'ice hockey' avoids confusion with field hockey.

Word family

  • hockey player
    noun phraseA2
  • field hockey
    nounB1
  • ice hockey
    nounA2
  • hockey stick
    nounB1
  • hockey puck
    nounB1

Common collocations

Nouns

  • hockey player
  • hockey game
  • hockey season
  • hockey team
  • hockey coach
  • hockey league

Phrases

  • play hockey
  • watch hockey
  • a game of hockey

Prepositions

  • hockey at [a club or school]
  • hockey on [a team]

Etymology

Old FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word 'hockey' probably comes from the Old French word 'hoquet', meaning a shepherd's crook, because the curved stick used in the game resembles that shape. The term entered English in the 1500s and was first recorded in Ireland in the 16th century. Modern field hockey and ice hockey both inherited the name from earlier stick-and-ball games played on grass.