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

In February, 2005, a man named Joe Sullivan was returning home to Montrose, a town north of Ridgway, after watching his daughter play in a high-school basketball game on the other side of the San Juans. — Peter Hessler, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026

James, naturally, handled himself like a true professional, used to the global spotlight since he was put on a basketball pedestal as a teenager. — ABC News, 28 Sep. 2026

Hatfield actually developed the shoe while Jordan had retired from basketball and was playing baseball. — Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 28 Sep. 2026

Thompson is eligible for a fifth year through the same lawsuit against the NCAA as Belcher and KU basketball player Tre White, who has joined the KU hoops team after receiving a preliminary injunction. — Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 28 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