Synonyms

foul shot

American

noun

Basketball.

a throw from the foul line, given a player after a foul has been called against an opponent.
a score of one point made on this throw.

foul shot British

noun

Also called: free throw. basketball an unimpeded shot at the basket from the free-throw line given for a technical fault (one free shot) or a foul (two free shots)

"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

Etymology

Origin of foul shot

First recorded in 1900–05

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:

foul shot

Just by taking a foul shot, he starts the fans screaming again.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2024

Jalen Hood-Schifino then missed a 3 and Camren Wynter hit another foul shot to help the Nittany Lions close it out.

From Washington Times ● Mar. 11, 2023

Ashworth’s foul shot with 12:50 left made it 41-40 and the Aggies led the remainder.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 21, 2023

That was a foul shot and he lost the point as a result, meaning he did not get the break opportunity and Medvedev went on to hold.

From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2022

Their center made the foul shot and we were behind by five.

From "Slam!" by Walter Dean Myers

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023