Standard Lemma guide

Calvinball

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

A deliberately absurd sport without fixed rules.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

Topics: games

Examples

  • 2002 March–April, Bret Rappaport and Joni Green, “Calvinball Cannot Be Played on This Court: The Sanctity of Auction Procedures in Bankruptcy”, Journal of Bankruptcy Law and Practice, volume 11, pages 189–212

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Calvin + ball. From a fictional game without rules, played in the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes.