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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The 23rd and last time the Kansas and Missouri men’s basketball teams had played a game in Kansas City that counted was at the inaugural Big 12 Tournament in 1997.
—
Kansas City Star, 8 Dec. 2025
Lemelin was at the time a coach to both male and female wrestlers at the high school and also coached children’s sports teams including football, basketball, wrestling, baseball and soccer, according to the criminal complaint.
—Flint McColgan, Boston Herald, 7 Dec. 2025
Tritons triumph Rosa Smith scored 27 points and Erin Condron added 19 points and seven rebounds Saturday as the UC San Diego women’s basketball team opened Big West Conference play with a 75-45 victory over Long Beach State at LionTree Arena.
—Bill Center, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Dec. 2025
For the JSerra girls basketball team, just reaching the championship game of the Troy Classic was a major accomplishment, Lions coach Rachael Ziemann said.
—Lou Ponsi, Oc Register, 7 Dec. 2025
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Kansas City Star, 8 Dec. 2025
Lemelin was at the time a coach to both male and female wrestlers at the high school and also coached children’s sports teams including football, basketball, wrestling, baseball and soccer, according to the criminal complaint.
—Flint McColgan, Boston Herald, 7 Dec. 2025
Tritons triumph Rosa Smith scored 27 points and Erin Condron added 19 points and seven rebounds Saturday as the UC San Diego women’s basketball team opened Big West Conference play with a 75-45 victory over Long Beach State at LionTree Arena.
—Bill Center, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Dec. 2025
For the JSerra girls basketball team, just reaching the championship game of the Troy Classic was a major accomplishment, Lions coach Rachael Ziemann said.
—Lou Ponsi, Oc Register, 7 Dec. 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 10 Dec. 2025.
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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