croquet
croquet Lexical Profile
croquet Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A lawn game in which players use long-handled wooden or plastic mallets to hit balls through a series of small wire hoops (wickets) embedded in the grass.
"We spent a relaxing Sunday afternoon playing croquet on the back lawn."
An act or stroke in croquet in which a player places their ball against an opponent's ball that it has just struck and then hits their own ball, driving both balls away.
"She executed a clever croquet that sent her opponent's ball to the far corner of the court."
• verb
To drive away (an opponent's ball) in the game of croquet by placing one's own ball against it and striking one's own ball with a mallet.
"He decided to croquet his rival's ball away from the final wicket."
To play the game of croquet.
"The guests croqueted on the manicured lawn until dusk."
Word Nuance & Usage
Do not confuse 'croquet' (the lawn game) with 'crochet' (needlework using a hooked needle) or 'croquette' (a small breadcrumbed fried food roll), as all three share a similar pronunciation and French root.
• Rhymes for croquet
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the mid-19th century from northern French dialect 'croquet' (meaning a shepherd's crook or hooked stick), a diminutive of 'croc' ('hook'), from Old Norse 'krókr'.