zone defense
noun
: 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
As the Heat struggled to make threes against the New Orleans Pelicans’ zone defense on Friday without the shooting of Herro, Love and Robinson on the court, Swider entered the game in the second quarter and made his first two shots from three-point range.
—
Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 24 Mar. 2024
And the Clippers looked confused playing against Milwaukee’s zone defense, especially in the fourth quarter.
—Broderick Turner, Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2024
Despite finishing third in points allowed, the 49ers never seemed to find a defensive personality, vacillating from an aggressive blitzing team with elements of man-to-man to one that relies on front-four pressure and top-down zone defense in the secondary.
—Cam Inman, The Mercury News, 2 Mar. 2024
The Spartans coaxed the Aztecs into launching 3s with a mixture of man and several zone defenses, and the Aztecs obliged by shooting just 5 of 20 beyond the arc.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Feb. 2024
The Gators initially came out in a 2-3 zone defense, which gave Loch Raven problems.
—Mike Frainie, Baltimore Sun, 16 Feb. 2024
Regis having a tough time cracking Valor’s zone defense.
—Parker Gabriel, The Denver Post, 11 Mar. 2024
And while the 49ers’ defense is much maligned coming into this game (for good reason), this Kansas City offense lacks the kind of playmakers who can carve up their zone defense, save for tight end Travis Kelce — a stark contrast to Green Bay and particularly Detroit.
—Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 11 Feb. 2024
Patterson Mill outscored Edgewood, 40-19, in the second half.
Fallston 74, Rising Sun 57: The visiting Cougars overcame the Tigers’ zone defense with ball movement as 24 of 28 field goals came with assists.
—Baltimore Sun Staff, Baltimore Sun, 10 Feb. 2024
Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 24 Mar. 2024
And the Clippers looked confused playing against Milwaukee’s zone defense, especially in the fourth quarter.
—Broderick Turner, Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2024
Despite finishing third in points allowed, the 49ers never seemed to find a defensive personality, vacillating from an aggressive blitzing team with elements of man-to-man to one that relies on front-four pressure and top-down zone defense in the secondary.
—Cam Inman, The Mercury News, 2 Mar. 2024
The Spartans coaxed the Aztecs into launching 3s with a mixture of man and several zone defenses, and the Aztecs obliged by shooting just 5 of 20 beyond the arc.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Feb. 2024
The Gators initially came out in a 2-3 zone defense, which gave Loch Raven problems.
—Mike Frainie, Baltimore Sun, 16 Feb. 2024
Regis having a tough time cracking Valor’s zone defense.
—Parker Gabriel, The Denver Post, 11 Mar. 2024
And while the 49ers’ defense is much maligned coming into this game (for good reason), this Kansas City offense lacks the kind of playmakers who can carve up their zone defense, save for tight end Travis Kelce — a stark contrast to Green Bay and particularly Detroit.
—Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 11 Feb. 2024
Patterson Mill outscored Edgewood, 40-19, in the second half.
Fallston 74, Rising Sun 57: The visiting Cougars overcame the Tigers’ zone defense with ball movement as 24 of 28 field goals came with assists.
—Baltimore Sun Staff, Baltimore Sun, 10 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'zone defense.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Zone defense.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/zone%20defense. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
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