full-court press

American  

[fool-kawrt, -kohrt] / ˈfʊlˌkɔrt, -ˌkoʊrt /

noun

1. Basketball. a tactic of harassing, close-guarding defense in which the team without the ball pressures the opponent man-to-man the entire length of the court in order to disrupt dribbling or passing and force a turnover.

   Suddenly behind by eighteen points, they went to a full-court press.

2. a vigorous attack or offensive.

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full-court press British  

noun

1. basketball the tactic of harrying the opposing team in all areas of the court, as opposed to the more usual practice of trying to defend one's own basket

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full-court press Idioms  

1. An all-out effort to exert pressure. For example, She'd learned over the years how to deliver a full-court press of guilt. The term alludes to a basketball tactic in which the defenders put pressure on the opposing team over the entire court, trying to disrupt their dribbling and passing. [Late 1900s]

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Example Sentences

Hurt by turnovers, an ineffective full-court press and a failure to hustle back, Sylmar gave up 14 consecutive baskets on layups and found itself trailing 77-56 early in the fourth quarter.

From Los Angeles Times

The key to this game is which full-court press works best.

From Los Angeles Times

Crowe has scored more than 4,000 points in his career, and with Inglewood putting on a full-court press from start to finish against everybody, his record point total will only continue to climb.

From Los Angeles Times

The Bruins went on a 18-2 run early in the second half after going small, breaking out a full-court press in pockets and making seven of eight shots.

From Los Angeles Times

Bancorp and they are making a full-court press to reduce their exposure by selling the debt to investors.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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