Definition

1. Noun:
   • A team sport played in water: "water polo" is a competitive ball game played by two teams in a swimming pool. The objective is to score goals by throwing an inflated ball into the opposing team's goal, which is defended by a goalkeeper.

Usage

• "Water polo" is used as an uncountable noun to refer to the sport in general.
• It is a compound noun, but it functions as a single concept. The sport involves swimming, treading water, passing, and shooting.

Examples

• Noun:
  • She has been playing water polo for her university team for three years.
  • The rules of water polo are designed to keep the game fast-paced and exciting.
  • Watching an Olympic water polo match requires an understanding of its complex strategies.

Advanced Usage

• "to play water polo": to participate in the sport.
  • He learned to play water polo during his summer at camp.

Variants and Related Words

• Water polo player (n): an athlete who plays water polo.
  • The water polo player trained for hours each day.
• Water polo ball (n): the specific inflated ball used in the sport.
  • The water polo ball is designed to be gripped easily with one hand.

Synonyms

• Team water sport: This is a descriptive synonym, as there is no single common word that means exactly the same as "water polo."

Related Phrases

• Cap (in water polo): A numbered, protective headgear worn by players to identify team membership and protect the ears.
  • The goalkeeper's cap is a different color from the field players' caps.
• Exclusion foul: A common penalty in water polo where a player is temporarily removed from the game.
  • The referee called an exclusion foul for sinking the ball.

Noun

1. a game played in a swimming pool by two teams of swimmers who try to throw an inflated ball into the opponents' goal