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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.

INDIANAPOLIS—Modern college basketball is built to do one thing: destroy dynasties.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

Goodwin’s advice included a basketball metaphor: “defense wins championships.”

From MarketWatch • Mar. 31, 2026

That might sound like the bare minimum, but as he scoured around for the ideal spot, the former international found many were tailored for NFL, basketball or baseball teams.

From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026

A high school standout in football, basketball and track and field, Browner played at USC from 1979-1982.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2026

“If somebody comes for me, will you tell them I’ll be out by the basketball hoop?”

From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko

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.