technical foul
noun
basketball
: a foul that is assessed to a player, coach, or team typically for unsportsmanlike conduct (such as arguing with an official or taunting an opponent) and does not usually involve physical contact with an opponent while the ball is in play
called also technical
compare personal foulExamples of technical foul in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Doncic also missed one game on March 30 against the Washington Wizards after picking up his 16th technical foul, which forced a one-game suspension.
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Benjamin Royer, Oc Register, 14 Apr. 2026
Kings coach Doug Christie was pleased with the way his young players responded in an intense and physical game with three technical fouls, two flagrant fouls and one ejection.
—Jason Anderson, Sacbee.com, 11 Apr. 2026
The game got chippy in the third quarter with two flagrant fouls and two technical fouls — including one on Curry from the bench — as the Warriors turned a 14-point deficit early in the quarter into a seven-point lead headed into the fourth.
—ABC News, 10 Apr. 2026
Mike Conley has never been called for a technical foul in 1,224 career games.
—Zach Harper, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for technical foul
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Benjamin Royer, Oc Register, 14 Apr. 2026
Kings coach Doug Christie was pleased with the way his young players responded in an intense and physical game with three technical fouls, two flagrant fouls and one ejection.
—Jason Anderson, Sacbee.com, 11 Apr. 2026
The game got chippy in the third quarter with two flagrant fouls and two technical fouls — including one on Curry from the bench — as the Warriors turned a 14-point deficit early in the quarter into a seven-point lead headed into the fourth.
—ABC News, 10 Apr. 2026
Mike Conley has never been called for a technical foul in 1,224 career games.
—Zach Harper, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for technical foul
Cite this Entry
“Technical foul.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/technical%20foul. Accessed 18 Apr. 2026.
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