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

Baker’s been a visible presence on Capitol Hill since taking the reins at the NCAA in 2023, overseeing a sprawling network of sports from football and basketball to wrestling and volleyball. — Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 11 Sep. 2026

Tim Connelly, Wolves president of basketball operations, and front-office staffer Alonzo Gee flew to Miami to meet with him face-to-face. — Jon Krawczynski, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026

Clark became a two-time consensus National Player of the Year and finished her career with 3,951 points, the most in NCAA Division I basketball history. — Jackson Thompson Outkick, FOXNews.com, 11 Sep. 2026

So Trent dabbled in football, basketball, soccer and lacrosse. — Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1877, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing basketball

• fantasy football/baseball/basketball

Rhymes for basketball

• aerosol
• alcohol
• arbitral
• butanol
• cannonball
• carbinol
• cortisol
• ethanol
• fireball
• gasohol
• gossypol
• guaiacol

Kids 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