# billiards

/ˈbɪɫjɝdz/ (US) · /bˈɪlɪədz/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/billiards
Updated: 2026-08-27

## Senses

### 1. general cue sports

noun · CEFR B2 · American English

a general name for games played on a table with balls and a cue, including pool and snooker.

For teachers: a generic term for any of various games played on a cloth-covered table with balls and a cue. Uncountable in this sense.

- The hotel has a game room where guests can play billiards or table tennis.
- The student union provided several tables for billiards, though most undergraduates preferred playing eight-ball pool.

Usage: Treated as a singular noun despite the 's' ending.

### 2. specific three-ball game

noun · CEFR B2 · British English

a specific game played with only three balls (two white and one red) on a large table.

For teachers: a specific cue sport played with three balls on a pocketed table, distinct from pool or snooker. Uncountable in this sense.

- My grandfather spent every Saturday afternoon at the club playing billiards with his friends.
- Unlike snooker, which uses twenty-two balls, English billiards is played with only three, requiring a different tactical approach to scoring.

Usage: Treated as a singular noun despite the 's' ending.

## Examples

- He plays billiards every Saturday night at the local club.
- The hotel offers a private room for billiards and a small bar for spectators to watch the matches.
- While the rules of billiards vary slightly depending on the specific variant being played, the fundamental objective remains the same: to pocket the balls in a specific order using a cue stick.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.