zone defense

noun

Updated on: 25 Apr 2018

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

See zone defense defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of zone defense from the Web

Two nights later, Kentucky defeated Syracuse 76-67 despite Wallace scoring a game-high 29 points and Syracuse’s highly effective zone defense.

— josh robbins, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Twenty-two years later, Frank Vogel cherishes his role with the 1996 NCAA Tournament champion Kentucky Wildcats," 31 Mar. 2018
Kansas Jayhawks guard Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk thinks there will be opportunities for KU against Duke's zone defense in Elite Eight game in NCAA Tournament ALLISON LONG KU's outside shooting also been relatively consistent.

— jesse newell, kansascity, "This Bill Self comment about threes shows his evolution as a coach and KU's as a team | The Kansas City Star," 24 Mar. 2018
Offensively, Memorial struggled against Northwest's zone defense.

— danny shapiro, Houston Chronicle, "Port Arthur Memorial wins 5A state title game against Northwest," 11 Mar. 2018
The source of his disappointment: The Cardinals at times moved as if slogging through quicksand while going against the Tigers' zone defense.

— danielle lerner, The Courier-Journal, "Instant analysis: No. 4 Louisville women's basketball overcomes shaky start in Clemson win," 7 Feb. 2018
Anas Mahmoud and Deng Adel finished with 10 each for Louisville, who made just of 5 of 21 3-pointers against the Orange's zone defense.

— USA TODAY, "Shorthanded Syracuse hands Louisville third straight loss," 5 Feb. 2018
His mammoth checks and rangy reach still serve as powerful deterrents, and second-year coach Bruce Cassidy’s zone defense minimizes energy-wasting chases into the corners.

— alex prewitt, SI.com, "The Legend of Z: Zdeno Chara Remains Obsessed in His Pursuit of Outsized Excellence," 3 Apr. 2018
Mack might toss in a zone defense every now and again, just to keep opponents guessing.

— jeff greer, The Courier-Journal, "'His guys will never lack in confidence': Chris Mack brings physical, brash style to Louisville," 29 Mar. 2018
Kansas also got a little indirect luck when its own starting big man, Udoka Azubuike, got into early foul trouble as well, forcing the Jayhawks into a 3-pointer-centric strategy that proved just the thing to beat Duke’s zone defense.

— marc tracy, New York Times, "Malik Newman Leads Kansas Past Duke and Into the Final Four," 25 Mar. 2018

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.