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Showing results for air ball. Search instead for dirt ball.
Synonyms

air ball

American  

noun

Basketball.
  1. a missed shot that fails to touch the rim, net, or backboard.


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:

The start of the National Basketball Association season Tuesday is set to test whether the NBA rights package will be a slam dunk or an air ball for NBCU.

From The Wall Street Journal Oct. 21, 2025

That resulted in a guarded air ball from the corner with 12 seconds left, then a foul to send FDU to the line with eight seconds left.

From Washington Post Mar. 17, 2023

Funk’s streak ended when he put up an air ball on a desperation 3 as the shot clock was running out.

From Washington Times Mar. 17, 2023

Randle missed a chance to win the game in regulation when his step-back shot from the baseline resulted in an air ball and shot-clock violation with 0.7 seconds left.

From Seattle Times Dec. 14, 2022

Seriously feel like I just shot a game-losing air ball at the buzzer.

From "Odd One Out" by Nic Stone

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