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
Cooper got up and lunged at Jamerson before being intercepted, and Bruins coach Mick Cronin sent Jamerson to the locker room minutes before the officials issued a Class A technical foul.
—
Daily News, 18 Feb. 2026
Shortly after that, the Red Storm’s Joson Sanon was called for a technical foul for saying something after a block on Stefan Vaaks.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 14 Feb. 2026
The Knicks traded two second-round picks for Alvarado for moments like the double-steal sequence or even earlier in the same game, when 76ers big man Trendon Watford committed a hard foul on Mitchell Robinson and Alvarado got into his face enough to warrant a technical foul.
—Fred Katz, New York Times, 13 Feb. 2026
The Rattlers went up by four points on Nehemiah Miller’s breakaway dunk, but he was charged with a technical foul for hanging on the rim.
—John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Feb. 2026
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Daily News, 18 Feb. 2026
Shortly after that, the Red Storm’s Joson Sanon was called for a technical foul for saying something after a block on Stefan Vaaks.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 14 Feb. 2026
The Knicks traded two second-round picks for Alvarado for moments like the double-steal sequence or even earlier in the same game, when 76ers big man Trendon Watford committed a hard foul on Mitchell Robinson and Alvarado got into his face enough to warrant a technical foul.
—Fred Katz, New York Times, 13 Feb. 2026
The Rattlers went up by four points on Nehemiah Miller’s breakaway dunk, but he was charged with a technical foul for hanging on the rim.
—John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for technical foul
Cite this Entry
“Technical foul.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/technical%20foul. Accessed 24 Feb. 2026.
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