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

Georgetown men's basketball coach Ed Cooley was suspended by the school on Sunday for one game after throwing a water bottle into the stands that apparently hit a child at the end of a loss to Xavier the night before. —CBS News, 21 Dec. 2025

The late basketball legend frequently visited China for Nike promo tours and during a handful of overseas NBA and Olympic games. —Riley Jones, Footwear News, 21 Dec. 2025

Louisville women's basketball continued to benefit from Laura Ziegler's switch from forward to point guard as the Cards defeated Tennessee on Saturday. —Stephanie Stremplewski, Louisville Courier Journal, 21 Dec. 2025

The Kansas men’s basketball team will face Davidson on Monday. —Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 21 Dec. 2025

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