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.

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

George missed the technical foul shot, but Nicolas Batum added a jumper after that to leave the Clippers up 89-78 entering the fourth.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 14, 2022

The company had arranged with the National Basketball Association to have one lucky kid take a foul shot during halftime of Game 1 of the NBA Finals in June.

From "The Million Dollar Shot" by Dan Gutman

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