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free throw

noun
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Definition of free throw

: an unhindered shot in basketball made from behind a set line and awarded because of a foul by an opponent

Examples of free throw in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Danilo Gallinari began the game as the NBA's leader in free throw percentage, but missed for the first time in 22 attempts at the end of the first. ... — George Henry, Star Tribune, "McDermott, Turner spark Pacers past struggling Hawks," 13 Feb. 2021 Jarod Lucas is sixth nationally in free throw percentage at 94.7%. — oregonlive, "Oregon State Beavers men’s basketball at No. 23 UCLA Bruins: Live updates," 30 Jan. 2021 Another free throw by Hillmon with 1:01 remaining gave the Wolverines their final lead of the game, at 74-73. — Ryan Ford, Detroit Free Press, "Naz Hillmon shatters Michigan basketball scoring record but U-M suffers first loss of year," 21 Jan. 2021 That was the last time Valparaiso scored until Clay MacLagan made a free throw with six minutes left in the second quarter. — Mike Hutton, chicagotribune.com, "Senior guard Colton Jones’ free-throw shooting salvages Valparaiso’s ‘sloppy’ win against 21st Century," 15 Dec. 2020 Though healthy, Leonard never appeared to reach top speed, scoring his first point off a free throw with 8:27 to play before halftime. — Andrew Greif, Los Angeles Times, "Clippers are delighted to be starting the season with their stars," 11 Dec. 2020 Neither team scored after that until a Simmons free throw with 12.1 seconds left. — Jeff Metcalfe, The Arizona Republic, "Freshman Jaddan Simmons leads ASU women's basketball past USC," 4 Dec. 2020 Bolden sank a free throw with four seconds left to secure the outcome. — David Woods, The Indianapolis Star, "Backcourt pushes Butler basketball to season-opening win over Western Michigan," 26 Nov. 2020 The two big men took advantage of the physical play and went 16-for-19 at the free throw line. — Chris Solari, Detroit Free Press, "Michigan State basketball's Tom Izzo decrees after another L: 'My stars gotta play better'," 1 Feb. 2021

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'free throw.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of free throw

1891, in the meaning defined above

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Time Traveler for free throw

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The first known use of free throw was in 1891

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Statistics for free throw

Last Updated

22 Feb 2021

Cite this Entry

“Free throw.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/free%20throw. Accessed 3 Mar. 2021.

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More Definitions for free throw

free throw

noun

English Language Learners Definition of free throw

: a basketball shot worth one point that must be made from behind a special line and that is given because of a foul by an opponent

See the full definition for free throw in the English Language Learners Dictionary

More from Merriam-Webster on free throw

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about free throw

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