backcourt

American

[bak-kawrt, -kohrt] / ˈbækˌkɔrt, -ˌkoʊrt /

noun

Basketball. the half of a court in which the basket being defended is located.
Tennis. the part of a tennis court between the base line and the line, parallel to the net, that marks the in-bounds limit of a service.

backcourt British

/ ˈbækˌkɔːt /

noun

tennis the part of the court between the service line and the baseline
(in various court games) the area nearest the back boundary line

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of backcourt

First recorded in 1765–75; back ¹ + court

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.

See Examples For:

backcourt

He even played important playoff minutes, helping fill in for the depleted backcourt during Doncic’s and Reaves’ injuries.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026

When Plum previously missed time, the Sparks started a backcourt featuring Erica Wheeler and Ariel Atkins with Rae Burrell as the small forward.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 24, 2026

Wheeler has started next to Plum often for a double point guard backcourt, but without her they have to change the way they play offense again.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 24, 2026

The Minnesota Timberwolves lost their entire starting backcourt during their first-round upset victory over Denver.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 7, 2026

On offense we lost the ball on a backcourt violation.

From "Slam!" by Walter Dean Myers

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

Get a word

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023