variants
often Rugby
: a football game in which play is continuous without time-outs or substitutions, interference and forward passing are not permitted, and kicking, dribbling, lateral passing, and tackling are featured
Examples of rugby in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Add rainy days to the mix, and our mudroom hall can look like a rugby team is using it as a thoroughfare instead of our family of four.
—
Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 28 Dec. 2025
Anne's daughter, Zara Tindall, and her husband Mike Tindall, the former rugby player, were also not far behind the King Charles.
—Wendy Naugle, USA Today, 25 Dec. 2025
Born in New Zealand, Vakalahi — who played rugby in Australia, much like Eagles' Jordan Mailata — was signed as an undrafted free agent last season.
—Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 23 Dec. 2025
Peter Meagher Former New South Wales detective Peter Meagher was also among those killed in the shooting, Randwick DRUFC, Meagher’s rugby club, confirmed.
—Connor Greene, Time, 15 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rugby
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 28 Dec. 2025
Anne's daughter, Zara Tindall, and her husband Mike Tindall, the former rugby player, were also not far behind the King Charles.
—Wendy Naugle, USA Today, 25 Dec. 2025
Born in New Zealand, Vakalahi — who played rugby in Australia, much like Eagles' Jordan Mailata — was signed as an undrafted free agent last season.
—Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 23 Dec. 2025
Peter Meagher Former New South Wales detective Peter Meagher was also among those killed in the shooting, Randwick DRUFC, Meagher’s rugby club, confirmed.
—Connor Greene, Time, 15 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rugby
Cite this Entry
“Rugby.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rugby. Accessed 1 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
rugby
noun
rug·by
ˈrəg-bē 
often capitalized
: a football game between two teams in which play is continuous and the team that has the ball may run with it, kick it, or pass it sideways or backward but is not allowed to block or make forward passes
Etymology
named for Rugby School in England where the game was first played
Geographical Definition
Rugby
geographical name
Rug·by
ˈrəg-bē
town on the Avon River in Warwickshire, central England population 71,000
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share