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
Velasquez, who grew up in Sterling, just down the street from Oswego East coach Tyson LeBlanc, attended Newman Central Catholic and played football and basketball.
—
Rick Armstrong, Chicago Tribune, 17 Mar. 2026
That group — which includes Texas basketball, Miami of Ohio and Howard — will play four games over the next two days to decide the final 11 and 16 seeds for the tournament.
—American-Statesman Staff, Austin American Statesman, 17 Mar. 2026
The team that went undefeated in the regular season, racked up more victories than anyone but Duke and Arizona -- and fewer losses than any team at all -- is anything but your run-of-the-mill basketball behemoth.
—Arkansas Online, 16 Mar. 2026
After years of not having the Big 5 represented, two Philadelphia men's basketball programs are back in the NCAA Tournament.
—Tom Ignudo, CBS News, 16 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for basketball
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Rick Armstrong, Chicago Tribune, 17 Mar. 2026
That group — which includes Texas basketball, Miami of Ohio and Howard — will play four games over the next two days to decide the final 11 and 16 seeds for the tournament.
—American-Statesman Staff, Austin American Statesman, 17 Mar. 2026
The team that went undefeated in the regular season, racked up more victories than anyone but Duke and Arizona -- and fewer losses than any team at all -- is anything but your run-of-the-mill basketball behemoth.
—Arkansas Online, 16 Mar. 2026
After years of not having the Big 5 represented, two Philadelphia men's basketball programs are back in the NCAA Tournament.
—Tom Ignudo, CBS News, 16 Mar. 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 18 Mar. 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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