basketball

[bas-kit-bawl, bah-skit-]

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

/ 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

Other Word Forms

• probasketball adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of basketball¹

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

Example Sentences

For more than two decades, no basketball player alive has passed the ball better than Chris Paul.

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The Ivies have sent teams to March Madness since the inception of the men’s and women’s basketball tournaments.

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As a kid, he had a pretty good jump shot, and by 2017 was playing as a guard for Macalester College’s Division III basketball team in St. Paul.

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Friedman already has been talking with Rob Pelinka, the Lakers’ president of basketball operations, according to people with knowledge of the situation.

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The delight for the reader comes from the author’s casting a wide net over the basketball universe and choosing a not-always-obvious moment to weave into a saga.

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Related Words

• ball