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

Cam Spencer, an NBA basketball player from Maryland, was invited to compete in next month's All-Star Weekend festivities. —Adam Thompson, CBS News, 27 Jan. 2026

The Huskies are the lone undefeated team left in women's college basketball. —Arkansas Online, 27 Jan. 2026

The women’s basketball teams at San Diego State (15-3, 9-0) and UC San Diego (13-6, 8-1) face tough mid-week road assignments while sitting on top of their respective conference standings. —Bill Center, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Jan. 2026

Caldwell and her colleagues began working on various campaigns, such as helping residents of the town of Oxford successfully lobby for the renovation of a derelict basketball court. —Charles Duhigg, New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2026

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