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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Her predictions now span playoff games across basketball, football, soccer, rugby and lacrosse — sometimes even fulfilling fan requests sent through DMs.
—
Jordan Greene, PEOPLE, 6 Jan. 2026
The crowd at the Arkansas men's basketball game against Tennessee made a big impression on him.
—Arkansas Online, 6 Jan. 2026
As women’s basketball is filled with tension amid ongoing negotiations over the WNBA collective bargaining agreement and a potential future offseason competitor league in Project B, Unrivaled boasts a lineup of 54 players, more than three-quarters of whom are signed to multi-year deals.
—Ben Pickman, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2026
Lee muscled up a shot while drawing contact from Ole Miss forward Cotie McMahon and got the basketball to drop through the basket.
—Danny Davis, Austin American Statesman, 5 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for basketball
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Jordan Greene, PEOPLE, 6 Jan. 2026
The crowd at the Arkansas men's basketball game against Tennessee made a big impression on him.
—Arkansas Online, 6 Jan. 2026
As women’s basketball is filled with tension amid ongoing negotiations over the WNBA collective bargaining agreement and a potential future offseason competitor league in Project B, Unrivaled boasts a lineup of 54 players, more than three-quarters of whom are signed to multi-year deals.
—Ben Pickman, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2026
Lee muscled up a shot while drawing contact from Ole Miss forward Cotie McMahon and got the basketball to drop through the basket.
—Danny Davis, Austin American Statesman, 5 Jan. 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 7 Jan. 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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