zone defense

noun

Definition of zone defense

: a system of defense (as in basketball or football) in which each player guards an assigned area rather than a specified opponent

Examples of zone defense in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Allie Connerty said that as Norwell has fine-tuned its zone defense in practice the past few weeks, underclassmen have been quick to ask questions and soak up as much knowledge as possible. — BostonGlobe.com, "Norwell’s senior captains Allie Connerty and Isabel Pithie set to embrace their leadership roles," 5 May 2021 Loyola had only seen a zone defense in 5% of its games playing in the Missouri Valley Conference. — Scott Gleeson, USA TODAY, "No. 12 Oregon State ousts No. 8 Loyola Chicago, advances to Elite Eight of men's NCAA Tournament," 27 Mar. 2021 Coach Cori Close shuffled her play calls and lineups by using a zone defense or putting guard Lindsey Corsaro at the No. 4 position. — Los Angeles Times, "The Sports Report: Lakers routed by New Orleans, 128-111," 24 Mar. 2021 Offensively, the Mountaineers have to keep the tempo high and prevent the Orange (17-9) from settling into their zone defense. — Akeem Glaspie, The Indianapolis Star, "NCAA tournament 2021: Best Sunday matchups, betting odds and players to watch," 20 Mar. 2021 As Michigan’s high-powered offense pushed its lead greater and stayed in its matchup zone defense, Morsell was the only player to provide a spark for much of the half. — Daniel Oyefusi, baltimoresun.com, "Maryland men’s basketball bows out of Big Ten tournament with 79-66 loss to Michigan in quarterfinals," 12 Mar. 2021 Once Autaugaville took a 36-34 lead with 3:45 to play, its first lead since 18-17 late in the second quarter, the Eagles decided to hold the ball to try and pull Belgreen out of its zone defense. — Bill Lumpkin Iii, al, "Class 1A boys championship: Autaugaville caps perfect season with crown," 6 Mar. 2021 Yes, this antitrust exemption is sturdy, thanks largely to court precedents and also good zone defense on baseball’s part. — Gabe Lacques, USA TODAY, "What is the MLB antitrust exemption? Baseball's century-old golden goose becomes political cudgel," 14 Apr. 2021 The River Rats went into a rare zone defense during the media timeout in the fourth quarter, but Grand Blanc’s Josh Rechsteiner responded with a 3 from the corner to put the Bobcats up for good, 35-34, with 4:32 left. — Brad Emons, Detroit Free Press, "Michigan high school boys basketball: Grand Blanc uses defense to topple unbeaten AA Huron," 10 Apr. 2021

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'zone defense.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

8 May 2021

Cite this Entry

“Zone defense.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/zone%20defense. Accessed 11 May. 2021.

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More Definitions for zone defense

zone defense

noun

English Language Learners Definition of zone defense

chiefly US, sports : a way of playing defense in football, basketball, etc., by having each player on a team guard a certain area of the field or court

See the full definition for zone defense in the English Language Learners Dictionary

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