handball

Everyday

1. Handball is a team game in which players throw and pass a ball with their hands and try to throw it into the other team's goal. tree →
2. In football (soccer), a handball is a foul when a player other than the goalkeeper touches the ball with the hand or arm. tree →
3. In some places, handball is a playground game of hitting a ball against a wall or into squares with the hand (also called «downball» or «four square»). tree →

In the lessons

In PE lessons, handball teaches passing, catching and teamwork; it is an Olympic sport. In football, «Handball!» is shouted when a player touches the ball with a hand, and the referee may give a free kick or penalty. In Australian schools, handball is a popular playground game in painted squares. In Australian football a «handball» is a way of passing by punching the ball from your hand.

Examples

• We played handball in PE today. tree →
• The referee blew his whistle for a handball. tree →
• In handball you can take only three steps holding the ball. tree →
• At lunch we played handball in the four squares. tree →
• He was given a yellow card for a deliberate handball. tree →
• Our handball team won the school tournament. tree →

Note

The game is uncountable («play handball»); the foul is countable («a handball»). Do not confuse with «hand ball» meaning any ball held in the hand. Rules differ between handball the Olympic game and playground handball.