Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
netball

netball

3 3.9
A team sport where two teams of seven score by throwing a ball through a raised hoop
  • noun
  • /ˈnɛtbɔːl/
  • UK
: netball
  • Students indicated that activities that perpetuated enjoyment were team sports, such as soccer, basketball, rugby, netball, flag football, and field and floor hockey.
  • netball players
  • football and netball
  • netball and soccer

The award for first place in women's netball goes to Sharon.

Examples

  • She scored the winning point for her team during the final netball match of the season.

  • Maggie and her friends loved playing netball in the park.

    Academic text (2018)

  • What about that netball team?

    The Inbetweeners Movie (2011)

  • Hey, remember, when I said I'd take you to a netball game?

    Raising the Bar (2017)

  • I had two early back-to-back netball matches the next day!

    Blog text (8)

  • The award for first place in women's netball goes to Sharon.

    Smosh Pit

  • We also run weekly intramural netball and football matches to get involved.

    Blog text (9)

  • Sixteen teams in total participated in the study (six netball teams and ten soccer teams), over a period of three months.

    Academic text (2005)

  • In addition, they took practical courses on netball, soccer, gymnastics, dance, tennis, and outdoor and adventurous activities.

    Academic text (2004)

  • I was a full-time scholar, played first-team netball, went to the gym, and participated in athletics.

    Blog text (30)

Surface Forms

netball singular
netballs plural

Morphology

netball = net + ball (transparent) = net + ball

The compound 'net' + 'ball' directly denotes a ball sport involving a net and follows familiar patterns like 'basketball', so learners can infer the meaning.

Etymology

The word netball comes from the two simple parts net and ball. The game is about getting a ball into a raised net, so the name tells you exactly what players must do.