play-by-play

adjective

ˈplā-ˌbī-ˌplā How to pronounce play-by-play (audio)
ˌplā-ˌbī-ˈplā
1
: being or giving a running commentary on a sports event
a radio play-by-play announcer
2
: relating each event as it occurs
play-by-play noun

Examples of play-by-play in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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And, as play-by-play broadcaster Rich Eisen noted, Tair used that hand to deflect a couple of Patrick Mahomes’ passes, including a potential game-tying two-point conversion. Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 8 Sep. 2025 Harrison Butker accidentally teed up quite the gag for play-by-play announcer Rich Eisen. Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 6 Sep. 2025 Genius Sports is the league’s exclusive distributor of real-time, official play-by-play and gambling data to sportsbooks and media companies around the world. Eric Jackson, Sportico.com, 5 Sep. 2025 What was the play-by-play on the day? Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for play-by-play

Word History

First Known Use

1927, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of play-by-play was in 1927

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Cite this Entry

“Play-by-play.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/play-by-play. Accessed 12 Sep. 2025.

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