full-court press

noun

ˈfu̇l-ˈkȯrt- 

1

: a press employed in basketball on both halves of the court

2

: an all-out effort or offensive

Examples of full-court press in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

After switching to a full-court press defensively, the Harborwomen slowly chipped away at their deficit with ferocious play. —Brendan Connelly, Boston Herald, 6 Jan. 2026

The Bruins went on an 18-2 run after going small, breaking out a full-court press in pockets and making seven of eight shots at one point. —Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 4 Jan. 2026

The final score would have been closer had Miles not rolled the dice with a full-court press that the Aztecs burned for easy baskets. —Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Dec. 2025

Now as the Monogram marks its 130th anniversary, Vuitton is plotting a full-court press throughout 2026 around the motif’s origins, when the founder’s son Georges deposited a sample square at The Paris Archives in 1896. —Miles Socha, Footwear News, 30 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1949, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for full-court press

• abs
• acquiesce
• ancestress
• authoress
• coalesce
• decompress
• dispossess
• faithfulness
• letterpress
• mayoress
• murderess
• nonetheless