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
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Texas Christian guard Olivia Miles poses with WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert after being selected second overall by the Minnesota Lynx in the first round of the WNBA basketball draft Monday, April 13, 2026, in New York.
—
Briauna Brown, CBS News, 14 Apr. 2026
Garrison’s younger son had played basketball for the University of Louisiana at Lafayette; this made Garrison proud.
—Patrick Radden Keefe, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026
The infusion of pro basketball players who seek the money-making opportunities and riches of contemporary college sports, coupled with college athletes suing to remain in college as quasi-pros, suggests any line will be dotted, zigzagged and persistently subject to challenge and change.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 13 Apr. 2026
Former Narbonne basketball star Marcus Adams has committed to Hawaii.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for basketball
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Briauna Brown, CBS News, 14 Apr. 2026
Garrison’s younger son had played basketball for the University of Louisiana at Lafayette; this made Garrison proud.
—Patrick Radden Keefe, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026
The infusion of pro basketball players who seek the money-making opportunities and riches of contemporary college sports, coupled with college athletes suing to remain in college as quasi-pros, suggests any line will be dotted, zigzagged and persistently subject to challenge and change.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 13 Apr. 2026
Former Narbonne basketball star Marcus Adams has committed to Hawaii.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for basketball
Cite this Entry
“Basketball.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/basketball. Accessed 15 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids 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
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