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 foul
Examples of technical foul in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Kerr, fed up with his team’s start and a missed call, picked up a technical foul for berating an official on the court.
—
Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 31 Mar. 2024
When his teammate Kevin Garnett, standing near midcourt, turned to a different official to protest the tech, he was given a technical foul, too.
—Louisa Thomas, The New Yorker, 9 Mar. 2024
And although Foster missed it, his fellow official Natalie Sago saw Gobert’s actions and gave a technical foul to Gobert.
—Ben Morse, CNN, 9 Mar. 2024
With the Heat trailing by nine points and 7:54 left in the fourth quarter at the time of the incident, Adebayo didn’t want to pick up a technical foul or get ejected and hurt the Heat’s chances of completing the comeback.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 20 Feb. 2024
Wearing a black protective mask after breaking his nose last week, Beal finished the third quarter with a 3-pointer with 0.3 seconds left — then shot a free throw when Washington was called for a technical foul.
—Noah Trister, USA TODAY, 5 Feb. 2024
Hopping mad Gates didn’t get called for a technical foul in his first 61 games as Missouri’s coach.
—Calum McAndrew, Kansas City Star, 5 Mar. 2024
Trailing by 10 with under four minutes left in the first half, SRV caught a break when a St. Mary’s player was called for a technical foul.
—Nathan Canilao, The Mercury News, 29 Feb. 2024
The incident came after his son, playing for Crespi Carmelite in a game against Harvard-Westlake, was hit with a technical foul.
—Steve Gardner, USA TODAY, 22 Feb. 2024
Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 31 Mar. 2024
When his teammate Kevin Garnett, standing near midcourt, turned to a different official to protest the tech, he was given a technical foul, too.
—Louisa Thomas, The New Yorker, 9 Mar. 2024
And although Foster missed it, his fellow official Natalie Sago saw Gobert’s actions and gave a technical foul to Gobert.
—Ben Morse, CNN, 9 Mar. 2024
With the Heat trailing by nine points and 7:54 left in the fourth quarter at the time of the incident, Adebayo didn’t want to pick up a technical foul or get ejected and hurt the Heat’s chances of completing the comeback.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 20 Feb. 2024
Wearing a black protective mask after breaking his nose last week, Beal finished the third quarter with a 3-pointer with 0.3 seconds left — then shot a free throw when Washington was called for a technical foul.
—Noah Trister, USA TODAY, 5 Feb. 2024
Hopping mad Gates didn’t get called for a technical foul in his first 61 games as Missouri’s coach.
—Calum McAndrew, Kansas City Star, 5 Mar. 2024
Trailing by 10 with under four minutes left in the first half, SRV caught a break when a St. Mary’s player was called for a technical foul.
—Nathan Canilao, The Mercury News, 29 Feb. 2024
The incident came after his son, playing for Crespi Carmelite in a game against Harvard-Westlake, was hit with a technical foul.
—Steve Gardner, USA TODAY, 22 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'technical foul.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1896, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near technical foul
Cite this Entry
“Technical foul.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/technical%20foul. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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