1. A team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outfield players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball to throw it into the goal of the other team; a standard match consists of two periods of 30 minutes, and the team with the most goals scored wins
   "The Olympic handball final was an exciting match that went into overtime";
   - team handball, Olympic handball
    
2. A game played in a walled court or against a single wall by two or four players who strike a rubber ball with their hands
   "They played an intense game of handball at the gym"
    
3. A small rubber ball used in playing the game of handball
   "The players bounced the handball off the court walls"

Derived forms: handballs

Type of: ball, ball game, court game

Encyclopedia: Handball