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.
Grammy-winning rapper J. Cole, a longtime basketball fanatic, has signed to play for the Nanjing Monkey Kings in the Chinese Basketball Assn.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 2, 2026
Basketball legend Michael Jordan led the cast of star names to pay tribute to Pep Guardiola at the Manchester City manager's farewell party.
From BBC • May 25, 2026
As president of the Women’s National Basketball Players Assn., she helped secure a historic new agreement, signed March 24, with salary numbers that mean real money across the board.
From Los Angeles Times • May 13, 2026
Back then, Finch was newly in charge of the Sheffield Sharks, toiling away in the obscurity of the British Basketball League.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 12, 2026
The company had arranged with the National Basketball Association to have one lucky kid take a foul shot during halftime of Game 1 of the NBA Finals in June.
From "The Million Dollar Shot" by Dan Gutman
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.
