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

The Fairfield University women’s basketball team will head back to the NCAA Tournament for the third straight year, after defeating Quinnipiac 51-44 Monday night in the MAAC championship game and getting the conference’s automatic berth in Atlantic City. —Lori Riley, Hartford Courant, 10 Mar. 2026

The Boise State women’s basketball team appeared to receive a major postseason gift over the weekend. —Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 10 Mar. 2026

Both the Point Loma Nazarene men’s and women’s basketball teams will be playing in the NCAA Division II West Regionals this week. —Bill Center, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Mar. 2026

The men’s basketball team is spiraling into next week’s Big Ten tournament, while the USC women were already eliminated in theirs. —Los Angeles Times, 9 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1891, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing basketball

• fantasy football/baseball/basketball

Rhymes for basketball

• aerosol
• alcohol
• arbitral
• butanol
• cannonball
• carbinol
• catarrhal
• cortisol
• ethanol
• fireball
• gasohol
• guaiacol

Kids 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