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.

Doncic’s injury left the Lakers backcourt extra shorthanded Thursday as Marcus Smart missed his sixth consecutive game Thursday.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026

Both of them go to Purdue: Smith and his backcourt teammate Fletcher Loyer.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 2026

They combined for 73 points during the Lakers’ 129-119 win over the Mavericks, and it was Reaves holding down the leading scorer spot over backcourt running mate Doncic.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 29, 2025

Said Rice: “To now be able to be in the backcourt with her, to learn from her, she’s brought a lot of new things.”

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 3, 2025

On offense we lost the ball on a backcourt violation.

From "Slam!" by Walter Dean Myers

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