basketball
Americannoun
-
basketballs
plural
noun
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a game played by two opposing teams of five men (or six women) each, usually on an indoor court. Points are scored by throwing the ball through an elevated horizontal metal hoop
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the inflated ball used in this game
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of basketball
Explanation
Basketball is a team sport in which players work together to bounce a ball down the length of a court and throw it through a hoop. Some college basketball games are hugely popular and very competitive. In basketball, two teams of five players collaborate to score points by successfully throwing the ball — also called a basketball — through the nets that hang from hoops at either end of the court. The game was invented in 1891, and the word basketball first appeared in print the next year, from basket and ball.
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:
He proudly showed off the metal sign he just bought, marked "Penn Station," the subway stop for Madison Square Garden -- the arena where his beloved Knicks basketball team plays.
From Barron's ● Oct. 11, 2026
The late Lakers legend created a film-analysis series called “Detail,” which was designed to show the public how a professional basketball player studies game tape.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
Participation has boomed in Australia and scores of athletes are switching from Australian rules football, netball and rugby, while the American team has recruited basketball players.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
ACL tears are particularly common in sports such as soccer, basketball and skiing, where athletes frequently pivot, stop abruptly or jump.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 6, 2026
I’ve seen him on a basketball court, and he’ll run circles around anyone, even someone as tall as Brandon.
From "Clairboyance" by Kristiana Kahakauwila
Specs can digitize a chess board, provide AR-guided training for shooting basketballs and even highlight the coolant reservoir under the hood of a car, according to videos and photos online.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 17, 2026
She has seen the video evidence of the two of them, both still in kindergarten, launching basketballs over their heads at the backboard.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 14, 2025
There I was, dribbling basketballs like a Globetrotter, diving through inter-dimensional portals, riding on the back of a galloping dinosaur in an explosive train heist.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2025
The duke joined the kids in dribbling basketballs, even shooting one in the hoop, before they all posed for a photo.
From BBC ● May 12, 2024
He leans his head back again and watches the mini basketballs hanging from the chains of his ceiling fan.
From "Dumplin'" by Julie Murphy
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
