alley-oop

[al-ee-oop]

interjection

1. (used as a shout of encouragement, exhortation, or the like, especially when coordinating efforts to lift a heavy object.)

noun

1. Basketball.,  a quick-score play in which a high, arching pass is made to a teammate close to the basket, who leaps to catch the ball and in midair drops or stuffs it through the basket.

Word History and Origins

Origin of alley-oop¹

First recorded in 1915–20; from French allez-hop; allez, imperative of aller “to go” + hop, variant of houp, an interjection of expressive origin; alley ¹ ( def. ), hoopla ( def. )

Example Sentences

To say there could be lots of alley-oop passes this season for St. Francis might be an understatement.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

He shoots 3-pointers and swats them away; he slams home alley-oops and hauls in rebounds.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

And the kind of two-on-one fast break with Austin Reaves and LeBron James that usually would be an alley-oop became an alley-oops when Reaves threw the ball too high and James missed the layup.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

St. John Bosco forward Christian Collins slammed an alley-oop dunk to begin the game — enough for half of the Braves’ 4-3 lead by the end of the first quarter.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

James capped the scoring streak with a no-look, alley-oop pass to Jayson Tatum on an out-of-bounds play, zipping the ball toward the rim where the Boston Celtics star slammed it with two hands.

Read more on Los Angeles Times