stoop ball

noun

1. a game resembling baseball, played in a street, schoolyard, or other confined paved area, in which a ball is thrown forcibly against a stairway or wall so that it rebounds into the air, bases and runs being awarded depending on the number of bounces the ball takes before being caught by the opposing player or team.

Word History and Origins

Origin of stoop ball¹

First recorded in 1940–45

Example Sentences

Ahead was a gang playing stoop ball, blocking her way.

From Literature

I would play basketball in the mornings with the boys who were just reaching their teens, and then stoop ball or punchball on the block with boys my age.

From Literature

We even changed the rules of stoop ball, of which I was the absolute King of the World, to include bases when more than one kid played.

From Literature

You played stoop ball by throwing the ball against the steps of a brownstone.

From Literature

“We played stickball and stoop ball. They have play dates and organized sports.”

From New York Times