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
Last month, more than 30 people, including prominent basketball figures such as Portland Trail Blazers head coach and Basketball Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, were arrested in a gambling sweep that rocked the NBA.
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NPR, 9 Nov. 2025
The indictment, which was filed on Wednesday and unsealed Sunday, comes on the heels of a series of similar indictments involving Portland Trail Blazers head coach and basketball Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups, Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and former NBA journeyman Damon Jones.
—Kevin Dotson, CNN Money, 9 Nov. 2025
College basketball is abuzz over the Louisville Cardinals and Kentucky Wildcats again, and both Kelsey and Pope have people excited for Tuesday's game.
—Ray Padilla, Louisville Courier Journal, 9 Nov. 2025
This week’s Club Sportico focuses on a series of sports betting investigations underway in college basketball, ones that could impact dozens of athletes at numerous D-I schools.
—Eben Novy-Williams, Sportico.com, 9 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for basketball
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NPR, 9 Nov. 2025
The indictment, which was filed on Wednesday and unsealed Sunday, comes on the heels of a series of similar indictments involving Portland Trail Blazers head coach and basketball Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups, Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and former NBA journeyman Damon Jones.
—Kevin Dotson, CNN Money, 9 Nov. 2025
College basketball is abuzz over the Louisville Cardinals and Kentucky Wildcats again, and both Kelsey and Pope have people excited for Tuesday's game.
—Ray Padilla, Louisville Courier Journal, 9 Nov. 2025
This week’s Club Sportico focuses on a series of sports betting investigations underway in college basketball, ones that could impact dozens of athletes at numerous D-I schools.
—Eben Novy-Williams, Sportico.com, 9 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for basketball
Cite this Entry
“Basketball.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/basketball. Accessed 11 Nov. 2025.
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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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