Carom

Pronunciation

• IPA: ˈkærÊŒm
• Rhymes: -ærÊŒm

Alternative forms

• carrom

Origin

Probably corrupted from French carambole (the red ball in billiards).

Full definition of carom

Noun

1. (cue sports, especially billiards) A shot in which the ball struck with the cue comes in contact with two or more balls on the table; a hitting of two or more balls with the player's ball.
2. A billiard-like Indian game in which players take turns flicking checker-like pieces into one of four goals on the corners of (one meter by one meter square) board.

Synonyms

• (shot in which the cue ball strikes two balls) cannon UK

Verb

1. (intransitive) To make a carom (shot in billiards).
2. To strike and bounce back; to strike (something) and rebound.
• 2012, John Branch, Snow Fall : The Avalanche at Tunnel CreekSnow filled her mouth. She caromed off things she never saw, tumbling through a cluttered canyon like a steel marble falling through pins in a pachinko machine.
• 1922, John Reed, Ten Days that Shook the World:The grubit bombs went rolling back and forth over our feet, fetching up against the sides of the car with a crash. The big Red Guard, whose name was Vladimir Nicolaievitch, plied me with questions about America ... while we held on to each other and danced amid the caroming bombs.

Anagrams

• macro
• Marco