Showing results for backcourt. Search instead for base-court.

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

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

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

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 7, 2026

Trailing by three with 25 seconds left, James pressured the ball in the backcourt, forcing a turnover that gave L.A. the ball back.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 26, 2026

They believed Smart would steal a terrible backcourt pass, absorb a terrible shooting foul and make three free throws.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 25, 2026

He was in the backcourt with Trip and every time Trip passed him the ball he passed it right back or threw it in to Jose, who was playing center.

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