basketball

noun

bas·​ket·​ball ˈba-skit-ˌbȯl How to pronounce basketball (audio)
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The major aspects of basketball aren’t the reason Philadelphia went down 108-100 to Boston. Tony Jones, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2026 Raridon tore his right ACL playing high school basketball and then re-tore it as a freshman at Notre Dame. Doug Kyed, Boston Herald, 25 Apr. 2026 Wallace had joined the Nuggets in 2019 as a basketball operations associate — a low-level role that included building relationships with players. Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 25 Apr. 2026 Earlier this month, Michigan defeated UConn in the NCAA men’s basketball national championship game. Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 25 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for basketball

Word History

First Known Use

1891, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of basketball was in 1891

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Cite this Entry

“Basketball.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/basketball. Accessed 29 Apr. 2026.

Kids Definition

basketball

noun
bas·​ket·​ball -ˌbȯl How to pronounce basketball (audio)
: 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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