# hockey

/ˈhɑki/ (US) · /hˈɒki/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/hockey
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. field hockey

noun · CEFR A2 · British English

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

For teachers: 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.

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

Teaching tip: Remind students that in the UK and Australia, you must specify 'ice hockey' if you mean the game on skates.

### 2. ice hockey

noun · CEFR A2 · American English

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

For teachers: 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.

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

Teaching 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.

### 3. feces

noun · CEFR C1 · American English · Slang · Informal

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

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

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

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

## Examples

- We play hockey every Saturday morning at the local park.
- The school invested in new protective gear to encourage more students to join the field hockey team.
- Professional ice hockey requires a combination of exceptional skating agility, physical strength, and the hand-eye coordination necessary to control a puck at high speeds.

---

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.