tipoff

[tip-awf, -of]

noun

Basketball.

1. a jump ball that begins each period.

Word History and Origins

Origin of tipoff¹

First recorded in 1910–15; tip ⁴ + (kick)off

Example Sentences

Howland likes to leave many hours before tipoff, arranging his schedule so that he can visit friends or fit in a doctor’s appointment.

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“We can play better, we got to play better,” Lue said before tipoff.

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Their stridently held belief that tax cuts produce more revenue, a notion dating from the late 1970s, should have been a tipoff: By that reasoning, reducing taxes to zero should produce infinite revenue.

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The Republican belief that tax cuts produce more revenue should have been a tipoff: By that reasoning, reducing taxes to zero should produce infinite revenue.

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“We haven’t seen this team at all this year so it’ll be a good test for us to see where we really are,” Shaw said before tipoff.

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