buzzer-beater

noun

buzz·​er-beat·​er
plural buzzer-beaters
basketball
: a shot successfully made just before a buzzer or horn sounds to signal the end of a period
especially : such a shot made to win a game just before the final buzzer or horn sounds
A few weeks later, he had his first buzzer-beater, a game-winning shot as time expired to beat the Knicks. Sam Smith, Basketball Digest, January 1994
Washington's Loree Payne had the buzzer-beater, taking an inbound pass with 0.7 seconds left and sinking a 15-footer as the horn blared to give Washington a 67–65 victory over Old Dominion at Gainesville, Fla. New York Times, 18 Mar. 2001
buzzer-beating adjective
a buzzer-beating shot

Word History

First Known Use

1965, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of buzzer-beater was in 1965

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Cite this Entry

“Buzzer-beater.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/buzzer-beater. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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