polo

noun

Simple meaning

A game similar to field hockey but played on horseback using long-handled mallets and a wooden ball.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

pohloh

Say the bold part a little louder.

US device voice

IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈpoʊloʊ

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

A game similar to field hockey but played on horseback using long-handled mallets and a wooden ball
uncountable
A ball game where two teams of players on horseback use long-handled mallets to propel the ball along the ground and into their opponent's goal.
The game of ice polo, one of the ancestors of ice hockey; a similar game played on the ice, or on a prepared floor, by players wearing skates.
countable
A polo shirt.
A Spanish gypsy dance characterized by energetic movements of the body while the feet merely shuffle or glide, with unison singing and rhythmic clapping of hands.
philippines
A dress shirt.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty: B1 · Intermediate (estimated)
Frequency: Common
Typical Use: Everyday English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: A game similar to field hockey but played on horseback using long-handled mallets and a wooden ball

Used this way, polo is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone: Neutral
Formality: Neutral
Intensity: Not strongly marked
How common: Moderately common
Connotation: Matter-of-fact
Usage feel: Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use polo

“He enjoys playing water polo with his friends every Saturday morning.”

Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

Game / ball

water polopolo clubpolo playerpolo fieldpolo team

Other combinations

polo shirtpolo ponypolo bridge

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

polo-necknounCompound term
A sweater or jersey with a high close-fitting collar.
polo-neck collarnounCompound term
A high close-fitting turnover collar.
polo ponynounCompound term
A small agile horse specially bred and trained for playing polo.
polo shirtnounCompound term
A shirt with short sleeves designed for comfort and casual wear.
polo sticknounCompound term
A mallet used to strike the ball in polo.
polo ballnounCompound term
Wooden ball that is struck with mallets in playing polo.

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.