carom
carom Lexical Profile
carom Game Scores & Validity
• noun
North American A collision followed by a rebound, such as a ball bouncing off a wall or rim.
"The basketball took an awkward carom off the backboard and landed out of bounds."
North American A shot in billiards in which the cue ball strikes two object balls in succession.
"The veteran player executed a precise three-cushion carom to win the tournament."
• verb
North American To strike a surface and rebound or bounce off at an angle.
"The hockey puck caromed off the goalpost and slid harmlessly into the corner."
North American To make a shot in billiards in which the cue ball hits two object balls successively.
"She carefully angled her cue to carom off the red ball into the far corner."
Word Nuance & Usage
Do not confuse 'carom' (to strike and rebound) with 'careen' (to lurch or swerve while moving rapidly), though the two verbs are sometimes conflated in informal sports commentary.
• Rhymes for carom
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Shortened in the mid-19th century from 'carambole', borrowed from French 'carambole' and Spanish 'carambola' (a red billiard ball), which likely trace back to Portuguese 'carambola', the name of the starfruit.