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
Former Kansas basketball forward Mitch Lightfoot, who participated in a record-setting six of coach Bill Self’s preseason boot camp conditioning programs, has offered a bit of advice to the many newcomers on the 2025-26 team.
—
Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 8 Sep. 2025
Thomas is a former NBA lottery pick and 13-year veteran and current basketball coach at a high school just up the road, Paramus Catholic, who had just shared a hearty handshake and hug with the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback.
—Ian O'Connor, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025
Angie and Chris Long are continuing their push to bring women’s basketball to the city.
—Brett Knight, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025
Natisha Hiedeman continues to play her best basketball of the season at the right time.
—Mike Cook, Twin Cities, 7 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for basketball
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 8 Sep. 2025
Thomas is a former NBA lottery pick and 13-year veteran and current basketball coach at a high school just up the road, Paramus Catholic, who had just shared a hearty handshake and hug with the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback.
—Ian O'Connor, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025
Angie and Chris Long are continuing their push to bring women’s basketball to the city.
—Brett Knight, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025
Natisha Hiedeman continues to play her best basketball of the season at the right time.
—Mike Cook, Twin Cities, 7 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for basketball
Cite this Entry
“Basketball.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/basketball. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share