tip-off

1 of 2

noun (1)

1
2
: a telltale sign

tip-off

2 of 2

noun (2)

: the act or an instance of putting the ball in play in basketball by a jump ball

Examples of tip-off in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The Cleveland Heights natives were celebrated before tip-off. Natasha Dye, Peoplemag, 6 Mar. 2024 What was a five-point deficit at the break for Fearne’s team ballooned to 18 points in the game’s final moments, to the dismay of what had been a raucous Halton Arena at tip-off. Hunter Bailey, Charlotte Observer, 2 Mar. 2024 Nearly eight months later, Jackson and the 49ers are having a season that no one saw coming before tip-off back in November. Hunter Bailey, Charlotte Observer, 16 Feb. 2024 According to Fox News, a moment of silence for Keith was held prior to tip-off. Meghan Overdeep, Southern Living, 8 Feb. 2024 After the Heat announced Herro would be in his usual spot in the starting lineup about 30 minutes prior to tip-off, Herro was downgraded to questionable for the game because of a migraine shortly after and was then ruled out as the teams took the court for pregame warm-ups. Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 5 Feb. 2024 The big game with the Celtics certainly didn’t feel that way at tip-off, not with James and Davis having been ruled out earlier in the day. Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times, 2 Feb. 2024 Prime time Minnesota’s home game on Feb. 23 against Milwaukee has been flexed to ESPN, with the tip-off moved to 9 p.m. as the game is the second of a doubleheader on the national network. Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 1 Feb. 2024 Games are suddenly sold out, tip-offs are dictated by television, and merchandise and ticket sales help the bottom line for the entire athletic department. Dave Skretta, Hartford Courant, 8 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tip-off.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

tip entry 8

Noun (2)

tip entry 5

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1901, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

1922, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of tip-off was in 1901

Dictionary Entries Near tip-off

Cite this Entry

“Tip-off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tip-off. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

tip-off

1 of 2 noun
ˈtip-ˌȯf
1
: a warning that something is going to happen
2
: a telltale sign

tip-off

2 of 2 noun
: the start of a basketball game when the ball is thrown in the air and a player from each team jumps up and tries to get the ball

More from Merriam-Webster on tip-off

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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