Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

basketball

American  
[bas-kit-bawl, bah-skit-] / ˈbæs kɪtˌbɔl, ˈbɑ skɪt- /

noun

  1. a game played by two teams of usually five players each on a rectangular court having a raised basket or goal at each end, points being scored by tossing the ball through the opponent's basket.

  2. the round, inflated ball approximately 30 inches (76 centimeters) in circumference, used in this game.

basketball British  
/ ˈbɑːskɪtˌbɔːl /

noun

  1. 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

  2. the inflated ball used in this game

"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

Other Word Forms

  • probasketball adjective

Etymology

Origin of basketball

An Americanism dating back to 1890–95; basket + ball 1

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.

All that was missing was a McBeer and a TV to watch basketball.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026

The biggest player on the giant national champion Michigan basketball team Monday night looked familiar, yet strange.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 7, 2026

He simply went on the greatest shopping spree in the history of college basketball, replacing 80% of his starting lineup with transfers in a matter of weeks.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 7, 2026

I asked my friend, a big basketball fan, to make my picks in a March Madness contest and I paid the $10 entry fee.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 7, 2026

“That was YOU?? I heard some kid got nailed in the face in gym and had to…How? A basketball?? They’re full of air!”

From "Popcorn" by Rob Harrell

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.