full-court press

noun

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Mamdani ran for mayor on ending mayoral control but quickly backtracked after he was elected — now leading a full-court press for a lengthy renewal. Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, 30 Mar. 2026 As Duke inbounded the ball, UConn had a full-court press on. Tim Rohan, NBC news, 30 Mar. 2026 But Iowa easily broke Florida’s full-court press and Folguerias was wide open in the corner for his 3. Rob Maaddi, Chicago Tribune, 23 Mar. 2026 Golden wanted his team to foul to prevent a 3-pointer, but Bennett Stirtz broke through the full-court press and saw Alvaro Folgueiras wide open in the corner. Cbs Miami Team, CBS News, 23 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for full-court press

Word History

First Known Use

1949, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of full-court press was in 1949

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Full-court press.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/full-court%20press. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on full-court press

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster