basketball
Americannoun
noun
-
a game played by two opposing teams of five men (or six women) each, usually on an indoor court. Points are scored by throwing the ball through an elevated horizontal metal hoop
-
the inflated ball used in this game
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of basketball
Explanation
Basketball is a team sport in which players work together to bounce a ball down the length of a court and throw it through a hoop. Some college basketball games are hugely popular and very competitive. In basketball, two teams of five players collaborate to score points by successfully throwing the ball — also called a basketball — through the nets that hang from hoops at either end of the court. The game was invented in 1891, and the word basketball first appeared in print the next year, from basket and ball.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
I have periodically had the same “problem” with NFL, college football, and college basketball games.
From Slate • Jun. 10, 2026
Recently acquired tax records also show that the university spent $6.1 million to bring in basketball coach Eric Musselman.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 10, 2026
Sports began for me early, after I saw a photo of my dad boxing in the Navy during World War II. I played all sports—football, basketball, baseball, track and swimming.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026
Some of the basketball players participating in the finals have commented on the record-breaking ticket prices, with Knicks guard Josh Hart calling them “ridiculous.”
From MarketWatch • Jun. 8, 2026
She noticed for the first time that he was wearing a Miami Hurricanes basketball jersey, and something about that made her want to laugh.
From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
