zone defense
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of zone defense
First recorded in 1925–30
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.
But the zone defense was critical to helping slow the pace for a team trying to survive its fifth game in seven days.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 19, 2026
Those underdogs tend to follow a simple recipe—they have one or two elite skills, like 3-point shooting or an airtight zone defense, that can tilt a seeming mismatch in their favor.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 9, 2026
They didn’t make a basket again until 3:01 into the second half — a stretch of 9 minutes, 53 seconds — as Oregon befuddled the Wildcats with a zone defense for much of that stretch.
From Seattle Times • Mar. 15, 2024
Etiwanda broke out a 3-2 matchup zone defense that the Monarchs couldn’t figure out.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 9, 2024
St. Peter’s started with a two-one-two zone defense.
From "Slam!" by Walter Dean Myers
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
