bocce

noun

boc·​ce ˈbä-chē 

variants or less commonly bocci or boccie

: a bowling game of Italian origin played on a long narrow court (as of sand, clay, grass, or carpet) with bocce balls (see bocce balls sense 2) which are rolled to stop as close as possible to a small target ball

called also bocce ball

Examples of bocce in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Roost beverage director Justin Sheffey will come up with easy-drinking happy hour cocktails to sip on Good Neighbor’s three patios, one of which will replace a former bocce court. —Benjy Egel, Sacramento Bee, 18 Mar. 2025

Over the past 10 years, new luxury apartments have been developed in the area along with several new restaurants, a new community recreation center, and outdoor bocce courts, along with summer concerts, car shows, and other community events. —Chuck Fieldman, Chicago Tribune, 10 Mar. 2025

There’s a one-acre cabernet sauvignon vineyard, a pickleball court and a bocce court. —Angela Serratore, New York Times, 30 Dec. 2024

This best-selling set from Amazon is an all-around solid standard bocce set. —Wilder Davies, Bon Appétit, 26 July 2024

Pickleball may have exploded in the wake of the pandemic, but in Pacific Palisades, bocce is king. —Defne Karabatur, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2024

The amenities continue outdoors, where the picturesque mountain-view grounds are laced with olive trees and hold a pool and spa, a bocce court, a fire pit, and a barbecue area. —Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 10 Feb. 2025

The peewee population interacted with each other in various settings and included bocce bowlers, bare-bottomed peasants, baguette bakers, blind men, the mustachioed mayor, female fishmongers, dunce hat-wearing schoolboys, snail saleswomen, and gobs more characters. —Gqlshare, Orange County Register, 15 Jan. 2025

Walking trails link the main buildings, the vineyard, the bocce court and a wide front lawn. —Angela Serratore, New York Times, 30 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Italian bocce, plural of boccia ball, from Vulgar Latin *bottia boss

First Known Use

1828, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing bocce

• bocce ball

Rhymes for bocce

• cocci
• diplococci
• micrococci
• pneumococci
• meningococci