name · noun · verb · 14 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
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
Received-Pronunciation:rŭgʹbi
Received-Pronunciation:/ˈɹʌɡbi/
General-American, Received-Pronunciation:/ˈɹʌɡbi/
General-American:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
Northern-England:/ˈɹʊɡbi/
Scotland:/ˈɾʌɡbe/
Scotland:/-bɪ/
Scotland:/-bi/
Wales:/ˈɾʌɡbi/
CMU ARPABET:R AH1 G B IY0
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
name
Meaning 1
A town in Warwickshire, England, where the sport of rugby is thought to have originated (OS grid ref SP5075).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
name
Meaning 2
A local government district with borough status in Warwickshire, with its headquarters in the town.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
name
Meaning 3
A number of places in the United States:
An unincorporated community in Las Animas County, Colorado.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
name
Meaning 4
A number of places in the United States:
An unincorporated community in Haw Creek Township, Bartholomew County, Indiana.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
5
name
Meaning 5
A number of places in the United States:
A city, the county seat of Pierce County, North Dakota.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
6
name
Meaning 6
A number of places in the United States:
An unincorporated community in Morgan County and Scott County, Tennessee.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
7
name
Meaning 7
A number of places in the United States:
An unincorporated community in Grayson County, Virginia.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
8
name
Meaning 8
A village in Hilltops council area, New South Wales, Australia.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
9
noun
Meaning 9
A form of football in which players can hold or kick an ovoid ball; rugby football. The ball cannot be handled forwards and points are scored by touching the ball to the ground in the area past the opponent's territory or by kicking the ball between goalposts and over a crossbar.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable, usually
Topics: hobbies, lifestyle, sports
Examples
The scrum is a distinctive element of rugby.
The two rugbies split following a debate about amateurism.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: rugger
Antonyms: none provided
10
noun
Meaning 10
The form of the game known as rugby union (see the usage note).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, specifically, uncountable, usually
Topics: hobbies, lifestyle, sports
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
11
noun
Meaning 11
Ellipsis of rugby shirt (“a shirt of the kind worn by rugby players, usually short-sleeved and with a buttoned opening at the neck like a polo shirt, but with a stiffer collar”).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: abbreviation, alt-of, countable, ellipsis
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
12
noun
Meaning 12
Rubber cement, contact cement; commonly associated with solvent abuse, as it is often used as an inhalant.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: Philippines
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
13
verb
Meaning 13
To play rugby.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: intransitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
14
noun
Meaning 14
a form of football played with an oval ball
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: rugby football, rugger
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: football, football game
History
Etymology
From earlier Rokeby (rook + -by), from Middle English Rokebi, an alteration (using the Middle English bi (“village, town”), from Old Norse býr (“town, settlement”)) of Old English Rocheberie, possibly from earlier Old English *Hrōceburh (literally “rook-fort, Rookbury”).
From the name of Rugby School in Rugby, in Warwickshire, England, United Kingdom, where the modern game was developed in the 19th century. The place name Rugby is attested in the Domesday Book as Old English Rocheberie (probably equivalent to rook (“Corvus frugilegus, a bird of the crow family”) + -by (suffix indicating a village or town)), possibly from *Hrōcebyriġ, dative singular of *Hrōceburh, from hrōc (“rook”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ker- (“to crow”)) + burh, burg (“castle, fort, stronghold; city; town”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bherǵh- (“hill, mountain; high, lofty; to rise”)).
Genericized trademark from Rugby, a brand of rubber cement by Bostik.
Across languages
Translations
70 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Afrikaans:
rugby
— form of football in which players can hold or kick an ovoid ball
Arabic:
رَغْبِي
(raḡbī)
— form of football in which players can hold or kick an ovoid ball
Arabic:
رَجْبِي
(rajbī)
— form of football in which players can hold or kick an ovoid ball
Arabic:
رَكْبِي
(rakbī)
— form of football in which players can hold or kick an ovoid ball
Armenian:
ռեգբի
(ṙegbi)
— form of football in which players can hold or kick an ovoid ball
Asturian:
rugbi
— form of football in which players can hold or kick an ovoid ball
Azerbaijani:
reqbi
— form of football in which players can hold or kick an ovoid ball
Basque:
errugbi
— form of football in which players can hold or kick an ovoid ball
Belarusian:
рэ́гбі
(réhbi)
— form of football in which players can hold or kick an ovoid ball
Bulgarian:
ръ́гби
(rǎ́gbi)
— form of football in which players can hold or kick an ovoid ball
Catalan:
rugbi
— form of football in which players can hold or kick an ovoid ball
Chinese Mandarin:
橄欖球 /橄榄球
(gǎnlǎnqiú)
— form of football in which players can hold or kick an ovoid ball
Czech:
rugby
— form of football in which players can hold or kick an ovoid ball
Czech:
ragby
— form of football in which players can hold or kick an ovoid ball
Dutch:
rugby
— form of football in which players can hold or kick an ovoid ball
Esperanto:
rugbeo
— form of football in which players can hold or kick an ovoid ball
Estonian:
ragbi
— form of football in which players can hold or kick an ovoid ball
Finnish:
rugby
— form of football in which players can hold or kick an ovoid ball
French:
rugby
— form of football in which players can hold or kick an ovoid ball
Galician:
rugby
— form of football in which players can hold or kick an ovoid ball
Georgian:
რაგბი
(ragbi)
— form of football in which players can hold or kick an ovoid ball
German:
Rugby
— form of football in which players can hold or kick an ovoid ball
Greek:
ράγκμπι
(rágkmpi)
— form of football in which players can hold or kick an ovoid ball
Hebrew:
רוגבי
— form of football in which players can hold or kick an ovoid ball
Hindi:
रग्बी
(ragbī)
— form of football in which players can hold or kick an ovoid ball
Hungarian:
rögbi
— form of football in which players can hold or kick an ovoid ball
Irish:
rugbaí
— form of football in which players can hold or kick an ovoid ball
Italian:
rugby
— form of football in which players can hold or kick an ovoid ball
Japanese:
ラグビー
(ragubī)
— form of football in which players can hold or kick an ovoid ball
Kazakh:
регби
(regbi)
— form of football in which players can hold or kick an ovoid ball
Korean:
럭비
(reokbi)
— form of football in which players can hold or kick an ovoid ball
Latvian:
regbijs
— form of football in which players can hold or kick an ovoid ball
Lithuanian:
règbis
— form of football in which players can hold or kick an ovoid ball
Macedonian:
рагби
(ragbi)
— form of football in which players can hold or kick an ovoid ball
Malay:
ragbi
— form of football in which players can hold or kick an ovoid ball
Manx:
ruggyr
— form of football in which players can hold or kick an ovoid ball
Māori:
rakapi
— form of football in which players can hold or kick an ovoid ball
Māori:
rakapī
— form of football in which players can hold or kick an ovoid ball
Māori:
whutupaoro
— form of football in which players can hold or kick an ovoid ball
Māori:
whutupōro
— form of football in which players can hold or kick an ovoid ball
Occitan:
rugbi
— form of football in which players can hold or kick an ovoid ball
Persian:
راگبی
(râgbi)
— form of football in which players can hold or kick an ovoid ball
Polish:
rugby
— form of football in which players can hold or kick an ovoid ball
Portuguese:
rugby
— form of football in which players can hold or kick an ovoid ball
Portuguese:
râguebi
— form of football in which players can hold or kick an ovoid ball
Portuguese:
rúgbi
— form of football in which players can hold or kick an ovoid ball
Romanian:
rugby
— form of football in which players can hold or kick an ovoid ball
Romanian:
rugbi
— form of football in which players can hold or kick an ovoid ball
Russian:
ре́гби
(régbi)
— form of football in which players can hold or kick an ovoid ball
Samoan:
lakapi
— form of football in which players can hold or kick an ovoid ball
Serbo-Croatian:
ра̏гби
— form of football in which players can hold or kick an ovoid ball
Serbo-Croatian:
rȁgbi
— form of football in which players can hold or kick an ovoid ball
Serbo-Croatian:
rugby
— form of football in which players can hold or kick an ovoid ball
Slovak:
ragby
— form of football in which players can hold or kick an ovoid ball
Slovene:
ragbi
— form of football in which players can hold or kick an ovoid ball
Sotho:
rakebi
— form of football in which players can hold or kick an ovoid ball
Spanish:
rugby
— form of football in which players can hold or kick an ovoid ball
Spanish:
rugbi
— form of football in which players can hold or kick an ovoid ball
Swahili:
raga
— form of football in which players can hold or kick an ovoid ball
Swahili:
gori
— form of football in which players can hold or kick an ovoid ball
Swahili:
naga
— form of football in which players can hold or kick an ovoid ball
Tamil:
ரக்பி
(rakpi)
— form of football in which players can hold or kick an ovoid ball
Thai:
รักบี้
(rák-bîi)
— form of football in which players can hold or kick an ovoid ball
Tongan:
aka pulu
— form of football in which players can hold or kick an ovoid ball
Turkish:
ragbi
— form of football in which players can hold or kick an ovoid ball
Ukrainian:
ре́гбі
(réhbi)
— form of football in which players can hold or kick an ovoid ball
Urdu:
رگبی
(ragbī)
— form of football in which players can hold or kick an ovoid ball
Vietnamese:
bóng bầu dục
— form of football in which players can hold or kick an ovoid ball
Welsh:
rygbi
— form of football in which players can hold or kick an ovoid ball
