play-by-play

adjective

ˈplā-ˌbī-ˌplā 

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

The 46-year-old Romo retired from the NFL after the 2016 season and joined CBS as the lead color commentator in the booth next to play-by-play announcer Nantz. — Dan Shanoff, New York Times, 31 July 2026

Romo is one-third of CBS’ top football broadcasting team, which includes play-by-play man Jim Nantz and sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson. — David K. Li, NBC news, 31 July 2026

That finding helped create the first serious play-by-play for optimizing AI search visibility. — Lior Eldan, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026

Since 2017, Romo has been the lead game analyst for CBS, with Jim Nantz doing play-by-play. — Chuck Schilken, Los Angeles Times, 24 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1927, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for play-by-play

• aaa
• alleyway
• alumnae
• anime
• anyway
• arete
• attache
• axillae
• baa
• beaujolais
• bouvier
• breakaway