jump shot

American  

noun

Basketball.

1. a shot with one or both hands in which a player leaps into the air and shoots the ball at the basket at the moment of reaching the highest point of the leap.

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jump shot British  

noun

1. basketball a shot at the basket made by a player releasing the ball at the highest point of a leap

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Etymology

Origin of jump shot

First recorded in 1905–10

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

jump shot

Carr was viewed by NBA scouts as athletic with his 42½-inch vertical leap and as having a good jump shot.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 27, 2026

Only a few years ago, he was a mystery, this international big man from Paris with an ectomorphic frame, graceful moves and a gentle, looping teardrop of a jump shot.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 1, 2026

What if the man with perhaps the prettiest/deadliest jump shot in the history of basketball had come up during the three-point era?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 14, 2026

Smith notices a difference too: “I’ve seen improvement in Tati’s jump shot and I’m very proud of her.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 18, 2026

And then I stopped short, about fifteen feet from the hoop, and made a pretty little jump shot.

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

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