carom

1 of 2

noun

car·​om ˈker-əm How to pronounce carom (audio)
ˈka-rəm
1
a
: a shot in billiards in which the cue ball strikes each of two object balls
b
: a shot in pool in which an object ball strikes another ball before falling into a pocket compare combination shot
2
: a rebounding especially at an angle

carom

2 of 2

verb

caromed; caroming; caroms

intransitive verb

1
: to strike and rebound : glance
the car caromed off a tree
2
: to make a carom
3
: to proceed by or as if by caroms
carom from city to city

Examples of carom in a Sentence

Verb a ball caromed off the wall
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
In right field, the Pirates’ Roberto Clemente plays the carom perfectly — not easy in a visitor’s ballpark — and throws a perfect strike to catcher Manny Sanguillen, his best friend on the team. Stephen Rodrick, Variety, 8 Mar. 2024 The Orioles get two prodigious Eddie Murray home runs — one of which caroms off the Phillies’ scoreboard — and one by Series MVP Rick Dempsey. Mike Klingaman, Baltimore Sun, 19 Sep. 2023 The replay shows the puck enters the goal just below the crossbar and caroms off the frame at the back of the net. Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2023 Punter missed his first free throw, then intentionally missed the second in hopes of a wild carom and 3-point attempt. Creg Stephenson | Cstephenson@al.com, al, 4 Mar. 2023 Myers retrieved the carom and fired a throw home. Matt Kawahara, San Francisco Chronicle, 4 Aug. 2021 Waiting for the second carom was Angel Ramirez, who pounded the ball past the goalie. Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Feb. 2023 His shot took a considerable deflection on the way in, and Houston goalkeeper Steve Clark was sent diving in the wrong direction by the carom. The Enquirer, 25 Feb. 2023 The crowd of 36,242 gasped when, tied at 27, the extra-point attempt from Camden Lewis hit the left upright and barely stayed inside the opposite upright on the carom. Bryce Millercolumnist, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Dec. 2022
Verb
The ball caromed off the back of the iron, bounced, hit the side rim and dropped cleanly through the net. Darren Sabedra, The Mercury News, 1 Mar. 2024 Johnson’s shot from the top of the zone missed the net but caromed off the end boards and back in front, where Johansen was waiting to backhand it past Vancouver goalie Thatcher Demko. Corey Masisak, The Denver Post, 20 Feb. 2024 As her long-range shot caromed off the crossbar into the goal, Mt. Carmel High School’s Sophia Woodard had a look of disbelief. Glae Thien, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Feb. 2024 That’s precisely what San Francisco did, when the punt caromed off the foot of rookie Darrell Luter Jr. and ended up with the Chiefs recovering. Steve Gardner, USA TODAY, 11 Feb. 2024 His harmless-looking shot from above the left circle hit Alexandar Georgiev’s blocker and caromed to the left, but glanced off the heel of his glove and into the net instead of heading for the corner like the goalie expected. Corey Masisak, The Denver Post, 8 Feb. 2024 But the rat itself was surely born here, in the Valley, begotten of that species of teenagers caroming through the malls in flocks and packs. Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 20 Jan. 2024 The puck angled to the near post and caromed off Wallstedt’s right pad into the slot, where Duchene was waiting for the rebound. John Shipley, Twin Cities, 11 Jan. 2024 The ball caromed off the back rim into the lane, and LeDee charged through two UNLV players to grab it and score. Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'carom.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

by shortening & alteration from obsolete carambole, from Spanish carambola

First Known Use

Noun

1779, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1860, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of carom was in 1779

Dictionary Entries Near carom

Cite this Entry

“Carom.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/carom. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

carom

1 of 2 noun
car·​om ˈkar-əm How to pronounce carom (audio)
: a rebounding especially at an angle

carom

2 of 2 verb
: to strike and rebound at an angle

More from Merriam-Webster on carom

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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