technical foul
noun
basketball
: a foul that is assessed to a player, coach, or team typically for unsportsmanlike conduct (such as arguing with an official or taunting an opponent) and does not usually involve physical contact with an opponent while the ball is in play
called also technical
compare personal foulExamples of technical foul in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
After Draymond Green got assessed two technical fouls in rapid succession to get ejected Wednesday night, Curry keeled over.
—
Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 27 Mar. 2024
According to Spotrac, which keeps track of suspensions, technical fouls and fines in the NBA, this is the fourth time in Gobert’s career that he’s been fined by the league for criticizing the officials.
—Sam Joseph, CNN, 11 Mar. 2024
Houston coach Kelvin Sampson was slapped with two technical fouls and ejected with 15:08 remaining in a home win against Oklahoma State on Feb. 6.
—Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 21 Feb. 2024
Lue was then ejected for a second technical foul, Kuminga received a technical and Plumlee a flagrant foul.
—Janie McCauley, USA TODAY, 15 Feb. 2024
Kerr, fed up with his team’s start and a missed call, picked up a technical foul for berating an official on the court.
—Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 31 Mar. 2024
When his teammate Kevin Garnett, standing near midcourt, turned to a different official to protest the tech, he was given a technical foul, too.
—Louisa Thomas, The New Yorker, 9 Mar. 2024
And although Foster missed it, his fellow official Natalie Sago saw Gobert’s actions and gave a technical foul to Gobert.
—Ben Morse, CNN, 9 Mar. 2024
With the Heat trailing by nine points and 7:54 left in the fourth quarter at the time of the incident, Adebayo didn’t want to pick up a technical foul or get ejected and hurt the Heat’s chances of completing the comeback.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 20 Feb. 2024
Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 27 Mar. 2024
According to Spotrac, which keeps track of suspensions, technical fouls and fines in the NBA, this is the fourth time in Gobert’s career that he’s been fined by the league for criticizing the officials.
—Sam Joseph, CNN, 11 Mar. 2024
Houston coach Kelvin Sampson was slapped with two technical fouls and ejected with 15:08 remaining in a home win against Oklahoma State on Feb. 6.
—Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 21 Feb. 2024
Lue was then ejected for a second technical foul, Kuminga received a technical and Plumlee a flagrant foul.
—Janie McCauley, USA TODAY, 15 Feb. 2024
Kerr, fed up with his team’s start and a missed call, picked up a technical foul for berating an official on the court.
—Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 31 Mar. 2024
When his teammate Kevin Garnett, standing near midcourt, turned to a different official to protest the tech, he was given a technical foul, too.
—Louisa Thomas, The New Yorker, 9 Mar. 2024
And although Foster missed it, his fellow official Natalie Sago saw Gobert’s actions and gave a technical foul to Gobert.
—Ben Morse, CNN, 9 Mar. 2024
With the Heat trailing by nine points and 7:54 left in the fourth quarter at the time of the incident, Adebayo didn’t want to pick up a technical foul or get ejected and hurt the Heat’s chances of completing the comeback.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 20 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'technical foul.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Technical foul.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/technical%20foul. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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