What does netball mean?
Netball is a team sport closely related to basketball. Two teams of seven players pass, catch, and shoot a ball toward a goal hoop, but players must remain in designated positions, such as goal shooter, goal defence, or wing attack. A goal is scored by passing the ball through the hoop without the ball touching the ground. The game is especially popular in schools, universities, and community clubs throughout Britain and the Commonwealth, and it is also played in the United States. The name combines “net” and “ball,” reflecting the goal structure and the equipment used. Netball differs from basketball in several important ways, including its smaller court, seven-player teams, stricter positional rules, and the absence of a backboard.
A team sport resembling basketball, played by two teams of seven players who pass and shoot the ball toward a goal hoop while observing position restrictions.
"The school has a strong netball team."
The sport is particularly popular in British and Commonwealth sporting culture.
To play netball.
"They netball every Tuesday evening after work."
The verb is chiefly used in British English and other Commonwealth varieties.
The plural is used when referring to separate games or matches, though it is less common than the mass use of the word for the sport.
"The tournament featured several netballs over the weekend."
Netball is basketball’s close relative, with a rulebook built around keeping players in designated positions—and no backboard to hide behind.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does netball come from?
“Netball” is a compound formed from “net” and “ball,” names that refer to the central features of the game. The sport developed from a modified form of basketball in the late nineteenth or early twentieth century, and its rules were standardized during the twentieth century. The compound also reflects the game’s distinctive goal arrangement, in which the hoop and net form the target for a shot.
Related word forms
How netball is actually used
Netball is especially associated with schools and community clubs in Britain, Australia, New Zealand, and other Commonwealth countries. In British English, the word can also function as a verb meaning to play netball.
Easily confused with netball
Netball and basketball share a similar court layout and the use of a goal hoop, but netball has seven players per team, position restrictions, and no backboard.