basketball

noun

bas·​ket·​ball ˈba-skit-ˌbȯl 

often attributive

: a usually indoor court game between two teams of usually five players each who score by tossing an inflated ball through a raised goal

also : the ball used in this game

Examples of basketball in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Westin has focused on baseball the last two years after playing basketball as a freshman and football his first two years of high school. —Steve Millar, Chicago Tribune, 2 May 2026

And last week, Drew, a senior point guard for Northwest Catholic, became the third generation of Dargatis to be honored as a CHSCA All-State basketball player. —Lori Riley, Hartford Courant, 1 May 2026

Suggs set the tone for the series in the opening quarter of Game 1, disrupting Pistons passes, sinking a pair of 3-pointers and belly-flopping to the floor to collect a loose basketball. —Josh Robbins, New York Times, 1 May 2026

There’s no such thing as job security in European basketball, as Nikola Jokic describes it. —Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 1 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1891, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing basketball

• fantasy football/baseball/basketball

Rhymes for basketball

• aerosol
• alcohol
• arbitral
• butanol
• cannonball
• carbinol
• catarrhal
• cortisol
• ethanol
• fireball
• gasohol
• guaiacol

Kids Definition

basketball

noun

bas·​ket·​ball -ˌbȯl 

: a court game in which each of two teams tries to toss an inflated ball through a raised goal

also : the ball used in this game