waterpolo
/w̝ateɾˈpolo/
waterpolo is the Spanish term for the team sport water polo.
The term refers to the team sport played in water where players attempt to throw a ball into the opponent's goal.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In most South American countries, waterpolo is the predominant term used to describe the sport. Polo acuático serves as the direct translation of the English term.
How do you pronounce it?
/w̝ateɾˈpolo/
Did you know?
- The term polo in waterpolo shares a root with the English word 'polo', which originally comes from the Tibetan word pulu meaning 'ball'.
- While waterpolo is common in the Americas, Spanish speakers in Spain almost exclusively use polo acuático in official competitions and media.
- Despite the word being borrowed from English, waterpolo is written as a single word in Spanish, unlike the two-word 'water polo' in English.
Examples in context
- El polo acuático requiere mucho entrenamiento.Water polo requires a lot of training.
- Jugamos al polo en la piscina.We play water polo in the pool.
- El waterpolo es un deporte muy intenso.Waterpolo is a very intense sport.
- Ella juega al waterpolo en la piscina municipal.She plays waterpolo at the local swimming pool.
- ¿Viste el partido de waterpolo ayer?Did you see the waterpolo match yesterday?
Example conversation
Mateo and Elena are talking about their weekend activities.
- Mateo¿Vas a ir a entrenar waterpolo hoy?Are you going to waterpolo practice today?
- ElenaNo, hoy prefiero ir a nadar un rato.No, today I prefer to go swimming for a bit.
- MateoEntiendo, yo tengo un partido de waterpolo a las cinco.I understand, I have a waterpolo match at five.
- Elena¡Qué bien! Buena suerte en tu partido, Mateo.That's great! Good luck in your match, Mateo.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry waterpolo, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
