tetherball

7 5.6

A game where two people hit a ball on a string to wrap the string around a pole

noun
/ˈtɛðərˌbɔl/

: tetherball

During gym class, we played tetherball and tried to wrap the ball's string completely around the pole.
tetherball pole
tetherball game
tetherball court

Speaking of sports, though, I was almost a best man at a third grade tetherball wedding.

Examples

It almost made up for having hockey sticks and footballs taken from my hands by the P.E. teacher shortly before he sent me to go play tetherball with the girls.

Blog text (15)
The other kids make way as Danny takes the empty spot on the tetherball court, sitting face-to-face with the implacable Ian.

Fiction book (1995)
On the playground one afternoon, I found one of my students hanging from a tetherball rope.

Blog text (27)
I was playing tetherball.

A Simple Favor (2018)
I am waiting on the back porch for Linda or Lisa to win the tetherball game that I've been watching.

Fiction book (2002)
Let's play tetherball.

South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (1999)
She enjoyed playing tetherball with her friend at recess every day, competing to see who could win.
The playground had a tetherball court where kids gathered to play and show off their skills.

Surface Forms

tetherball singular

tetherballs plural

Morphology

tetherball = tether + ball (transparent) = tether + ball

The compound directly denotes a ball attached to a tether; the components' meanings combine in a straightforward way.

Etymology

Tetherball is made of tether and ball, and tether means 'a rope used to tie an animal'. That's why tetherball is a game with a ball tied to a pole by a rope, which matches how the game is played.