jump ball

American

noun

Basketball.

a ball tossed into the air above and between two opposing players by the referee in putting the ball into play.

jump ball British

noun

basketball a ball thrown high by the referee between two opposing players to put it in play, as after a stoppage in which no foul or violation was committed

"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 jump ball

First recorded in 1920–25

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:

jump ball

He expects all three to be even more aggressive this time around, “given the potential jump ball for assets and routes.”

From Barron's ● May 1, 2026

San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama tossed the jump ball, with rapper GloRilla winning the opening tip against reality TV star Taylor Frankie Paul.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 14, 2026

Unlike Games 1 and 2 of this series, which the Dodgers dominated outside of a brief ninth-inning scare in the opener, Thursday’s contest was much of a jump ball.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2025

Why: All polling seems to suggest that this is a complete jump ball of a race.

From Slate ● Nov. 5, 2024

The ref threw up the opening jump ball.

From "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" by Sherman Alexie

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