polo

polo — noun

1. a team sport in which riders on horses use long mallets to hit a small ball betw

1.nounB2
Definition

a team sport in which riders on horses use long mallets to hit a small ball between goal posts.

Example

At the summer club, Elena learned polo on a gentle brown pony.

learn/play polo

There was a polo match near Jaipur during our school trip.

a polo match

Common collocations
  • play polo
  • polo match
  • polo team
  • polo club
  • polo field

Grammar Patterns

play polo

a polo match

polo player

Usage Note

Usually uncountable after verbs like 'play', 'learn', and 'watch'. Before another noun, it often names things linked to the sport, such as 'polo club', 'polo field', and 'polo player'.

Common Mistakes

We played a polo after lunch.
We played polo after lunch.
names of sports like 'polo' are usually uncountable and do not take 'a'.

Common collocations

Nouns

  • polo match
  • polo field
  • polo club
  • polo player
  • polo pony

Phrases

  • play polo
  • learn polo
  • watch polo

Etymology

BaltiAnglo-Indian EnglishEnglish

Polo entered English in the late 1800s from Balti, a language spoken in Baltistan in the Himalayas. In Balti, the word meant 'ball'. English first used it for the horseback game, which had already been played in Asia for many centuries.