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

Out of the more than 30 people charged by federal prosecutors for illicit-gaming offenses, just three are associated with the NBA, and most of the evidence has nothing to do with basketball games. —Sally Jenkins, The Atlantic, 26 Oct. 2025

For most sports, the highest possible margin is three while higher-scoring sports like football, basketball and lacrosse have higher maximums. —Jack Murray, Boston Herald, 26 Oct. 2025

Investors should buy shares of Madison Square Garden Sports amid projections that the New York Knicks basketball team will grow in value, according to Citigroup Global Markets. —Sean Conlon, CNBC, 26 Oct. 2025

Eagle, the best basketball game-caller in the sport, gave Prime Video a sense of calm that made watching Friday’s NBA on Prime opener between the New York Knicks and Boston Celtics feel comfortable. —Andrew Marchand, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1891, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing basketball

• fantasy football/baseball/basketball

Rhymes for basketball

• aerosol
• alcohol
• arbitral
• butanol
• cannonball
• carbinol
• catarrhal
• cortisol
• ethanol
• fireball
• gasohol
• 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