full-court press

noun

|Updated on: 11 Jul 2018

Definition of full-court press

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

2 : an all-out effort or offensive

See full-court press defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of full-court press from the Web

Northampton set a full-court press, using two or three defenders at a time to swarm ball carriers.

— greg levinsky and mike kotsopoulos, BostonGlobe.com, "Ashley Sampson rallies Foxborough in OT," 15 Mar. 2018
While the Penguins have an impactful full-court press, the Norse ease into a win in their final game at BB&T Arena.

— charlie hatch, Cincinnati.com, "Predicting how the Horizon League finishes and NKU, Wright State final seeding," 19 Feb. 2018
Trae Young gets his first look at Bob Huggins’s stifling full-court press, with the winner striking the first blow in what could be a battle between the two best teams in the country’s best conference.

— michael beller, SI.com, "Picks: No. 7 Oklahoma vs. No. 6 West Virginia Leads Weekend of Ranked Clashes," 5 Jan. 2018
The Bucks are expected to put on a full-court press and crank up the excitement for the arena once their season ends.

— james b. nelson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Milwaukee Bucks arena naming rights going to a local company with a national presence," 23 Apr. 2018
Their first challenge could come in Boston against West Virginia and its unrelenting full-court press and rugged physical play.

— joe sullivan, BostonGlobe.com, "Villanova and Purdue best bets to reach TD Garden," 11 Mar. 2018
Throughout the first half, Brownsburg utilized a mix of a swarming full-court press and a 2-3 half-court trap.

— jack carney, Indianapolis Star, "IHSAA girls basketball: Brownsburg pressures its way to Hendricks County title game," 5 Jan. 2018
Will Sasso, Scott Wolf and Eric Mabius are making a full-court press for the indie drama Inside Game.

— tatiana siegel, The Hollywood Reporter, "Will Sasso, Scott Wolf to Star in NBA Betting Scandal Drama 'Inside Game' (Exclusive)," 23 May 2018
Gilgeous-Alexander, who like Green played well enough for the majority of the contest, dribbled up the sideline with the Wildcats up nine and found trouble against Alabama's full-court press.

— fletcher page, The Courier-Journal, "Kentucky basketball's slim margin for error still on display in win against Alabama | Page," 18 Feb. 2018

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