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bank shot

American  

noun

  1. Basketball. a shot into the basket, made by rebounding the ball off the backboard.

  2. Billiards, Pool. a shot in which the cue ball or object ball is banked.


Etymology

Origin of bank shot

First recorded in 1935–40

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.

Now rates are coming down, and Caterpillar has even turned into something of an AI bank shot.

From Barron's • Feb. 12, 2026

Manchester toddler Jude Owens successfully executed a pool bank shot at two years and 302 days old on 12 October 2025.

From BBC • Jan. 28, 2026

“The bank shot broke our back,” Mater Dei Coach Gary McKnight said in 2006.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 6, 2024

After a spinning bank shot from Dajuan Harris Jr. put Kansas in front 71-66 with 1:11 left, the Hoosiers gave themselves a chance thanks to Galloway’s 3-point make on the ensuing possession.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 16, 2023

Yet it was here we walked when ferns were springing, And through the mossy bank shot bud and blade:- Here found in summer, when the birds were singing, A green and pleasant shade.

From The Poetical Works of Robert Bridges by Bridges, Robert

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