carom

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car·om

(kăr′əm)

1. A collision followed by a rebound.

a. A shot in billiards in which the cue ball successively strikes two other balls. Also called billiard.

b. A similar shot in a related game, such as pool.

v. car·omed, car·om·ing, car·oms

v.intr.

1. To collide and rebound; glance: The car caromed off the guardrail into the ditch.

2. To make a carom, as in billiards.

v.tr.

To cause to carom.

[Short for carambole, a stroke at billiards, from French, a billiard ball, from Spanish carambola, a stroke at billiards, perhaps from Portuguese, carambola; see carambola.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

carom

(ˈkærəm) or

carrom

(Billiards & Snooker) billiards

a. a shot in which the cue ball is caused to contact one object ball after another

b. the points scored by this

[C18: from earlier carambole (taken as carom ball), from Spanish carambola]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

car•om

(ˈkær əm)

n.

1. a shot in billiards or pool in which the cue ball hits two balls in succession.

2. any hit and rebound.

v.i.

3. to hit and rebound.

[1770–80; by false analysis of carambole (taken as carom ball) < French < Sp carambola literally, carambola]

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Noun	1.	carom - a glancing rebound ricochet backlash, rebound, recoil, repercussion - a movement back from an impact
	2.	carom - a shot in billiards in which the cue ball contacts one object ball and then the other cannon billiards - any of several games played on rectangular cloth-covered table (with cushioned edges) in which long tapering cue sticks are used to propel ivory (or composition) balls pocket billiards, pool - any of various games played on a pool table having 6 pockets stroke, shot - (sports) the act of swinging or striking at a ball with a club or racket or bat or cue or hand; "it took two strokes to get out of the bunker"; "a good shot requires good balance and tempo"; "he left me an almost impossible shot"
Verb	1.	carom - rebound after hitting; "The car caromed off several lampposts" bounce, rebound, ricochet, take a hop, resile, spring, recoil, bound, reverberate - spring back; spring away from an impact; "The rubber ball bounced"; "These particles do not resile but they unite after they collide"
	2.	carom - make a carom billiards - any of several games played on rectangular cloth-covered table (with cushioned edges) in which long tapering cue sticks are used to propel ivory (or composition) balls shoot - throw or propel in a specific direction or towards a specific objective; "shoot craps"; "shoot a golf ball"

carom

verb

To strike a surface at such an angle as to be deflected:

dap, glance, graze, ricochet, skim, skip.

Translations

carom

(US)

n → Karambolage f

vi (Billiards) → karambolieren; (= rebound) → abprallen

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

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References in classic literature ?

She glanced at Bert, dancing "tough" with Mary, caroming down the long floor with more than one collision with the increasing couples.

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Though vaguely conscious, he lay without movement while the ice tore by, great cakes of it caroming against the bank, uprooting trees, and gouging out earth by hundreds of tons.

View in context

In the U.S., federal law imposes harsh penalties for those who engage in "caroming," videotaping films from theater screens.