bas·ket·ball
| \ ˈba-skit-ˌbȯl
\
\
Definition of basketball
: a usually indoor court game between two teams of usually five players each who score by tossing an inflated ball through a raised goal
also
: the ball used in this game
Examples of basketball in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Senior Ahmad Wagner, the former Iowa basketball player, caught three passes for 57 yards and drew two pass interference penalties. — Jon Hale, The Courier-Journal, "In ugly win, Kentucky football shows signs of progress at key positions," 31 Aug. 2019 Whereas basketball players — college and pro — are typically black. — Gary Peterson, The Mercury News, "Apparent racist Instagram comment gets ire of Sharks’ Evander Kane," 29 Aug. 2019 Of course, those risks haven’t stopped elite runners and cyclists—who like basketball players rely on speed and endurance—from using SPEDs. — Michael Mccann, SI.com, "Examining Wilson Chandler's Suspension for PEDs and Infrequency of Steroids in the NBA," 29 Aug. 2019 Konor Lathrop, Sr, WR/DE, Highlands Ranch — A big target at 6-foot-4, 225 pounds, Lathrop was an all-conference football and basketball player as a junior. — Matt Schubert, The Denver Post, "Colorado prep football: 40 impact players to watch in Class 5A," 28 Aug. 2019 The multi-hyphenate star posted a photo wearing the dress alongside her basketball player husband, and the couple’s 9-month-old baby girl Kaavia James. — Georgia Slater, PEOPLE.com, "Gabrielle Union Wears Dress with Husband Dwyane Wade's Face All Over It — And She's 'Obsessed'," 28 Aug. 2019 New Mexico police responding to reports of gunfire at a loud house party found seven people shot, three of whom were fatally wounded -- including a basketball player from a local Christian college. — Robert Gearty, Fox News, "Christian college athlete, 2 others killed in New Mexico shooting that left 4 wounded," 26 Aug. 2019 Nancy Lieberman, a Hall of Fame basketball player and current analyst, will also appear, as will Kelley O'Hara, who won the World Cup this summer in France with the U.S. Women's National Team. — Mike Brehm, USA TODAY, "Christian Yelich, Chris Paul, Kelley O'Hara will be featured in ESPN's 'Body Issue'," 26 Aug. 2019 Among the three killed was Lamar Lee-Kane, 22, a basketball player from the University of the Southwest. — Ben Kesslen, NBC News, "New Mexico house party shooting leaves 3 dead, 4 wounded," 26 Aug. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'basketball.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for basketball
basketball
noun
English Language Learners Definition of basketball
: a game in which two teams of five players bounce a ball and try to score points by throwing the ball through one of the raised nets at each end of a rectangular court
: a large rubber ball that is used in the game of basketball
See the full definition for basketball in the English Language Learners Dictionary
basketball
noun
bas·ket·ball
| \ ˈba-skit-ˌbȯl
\
\
Kids Definition of basketball
1
: a game in which two teams try to throw a ball through a hanging net
2
: the ball used in basketball
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