ENGLISH
REFERENCE

hockey

n.
US //ˈhɑki// UK //hˈɒki// hock·ey
  1. 1 field hockey (n.)
    A2 Elementary British English Sport

    a game played on grass or a hard surface where two teams use curved sticks to hit a small ball into a goal.

    a team sport played on a pitch with a hard ball and sticks with a hooked head. Uncountable; the default referent for 'hockey' in the UK, Australia, and India.

    Example

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

    Example

    The national team secured a victory in the hockey finals, demonstrating superior stick-handling skills on the synthetic turf.

    Usage

    In British English, 'hockey' used alone almost always refers to the field-based game.

    Teacher's tip

    Remind students that in the UK and Australia, you must specify 'ice hockey' if you mean the game on skates.
    • field hockey
  2. 2 ice hockey (n.)
    A2 Elementary American English Sport

    a fast game played on ice where players wear skates and use sticks to hit a flat disc called a puck into a net.

    a contact team sport played on an ice rink with skates and a vulcanized rubber puck. Uncountable; the default referent for 'hockey' in Canada and the United States.

    Example

    He put on his skates and helmet before the hockey game started.

    Example

    The crowd cheered as the hockey captain slapped the puck into the net during the final seconds of the third period.

    Usage

    In North American English, 'hockey' used alone refers to the ice-based game.

    Teacher's tip

    In Canada and the US, field hockey is often considered a niche or school-based sport, whereas 'hockey' is a major professional cultural staple.
    • ice hockey
  3. 3 feces (n.)
    C1 Advanced American English Slang Informal

    a very informal and rude word for solid waste from the body.

    a slang term for excrement or feces. Uncountable; highly informal and potentially offensive in certain social contexts.

    Example

    Watch your step so you don't walk in the dog hockey on the grass.

    Example

    The hiker complained about the amount of horse hockey left along the shared trail.

    Usage

    Often used in the euphemistic compound 'horse hockey' to mean nonsense.

    Teacher's tip

    This sense is relatively rare compared to the sport; students should be aware of it to avoid confusion in very casual American speech.
Etymology 1

16th century, of unknown origin. Possibly related to hook due to the curvature of the stick, akin to hock (“hook”) + -ey, or from Middle French hoquet (“shepherd's staff, crook”), which resembles a hockey stick, via a diminutive form of Old French hoc from Middle Dutch hoec (“hook”), a cognate of Old English hōc.

Etymology 2

See oche.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Idioms1 entry

Last updated June 19, 2026