full-court press

noun

1
: a press employed in basketball on both halves of the court
2
: an all-out effort or offensive

Examples of full-court press in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
That includes a strategy that’s rare in the NBA: A full-court press designed to wear out opposing ballhandlers. Jared Weiss, New York Times, 21 June 2025 Yet despite Garfield’s full-court press, wide swathes of the internet were inevitably left untouched. Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 27 May 2025 East used a full-court press in an attempt to get back into the game but Grandview had little trouble breaking the press. Matt Schubert, The Denver Post, 8 Mar. 2025 Former Terps coach Kevin Willard felt comfortable using him in the full-court press and alongside another big man in Julian Reese. Sam Jane, Baltimore Sun, 24 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for full-court press

Word History

First Known Use

1949, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of full-court press was in 1949

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Full-court press.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/full-court%20press. Accessed 14 Jul. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on full-court press

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!