Alley-oop Definition & Meaning

American

Etymology

Examples

alley-oop American [al-ee-oop] / ˈæl iˈup /

interjection

1. (used as a shout of encouragement, exhortation, or the like, especially when coordinating efforts to lift a heavy object.)

noun

1. Basketball. a quick-score play in which a high, arching pass is made to a teammate close to the basket, who leaps to catch the ball and in midair drops or stuffs it through the basket.

Etymology

Origin of alley-oop

First recorded in 1915–20; from French allez-hop; allez, imperative of aller “to go” + hop, variant of houp, an interjection of expressive origin; alley 1 ( def. ), hoopla ( def. )

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The Trojans slammed home one alley-oop, then another, then another in the second half.

From Los Angeles Times

Paul brought “Lob City” to L.A., throwing alley-oop passes to star forward Blake Griffin, who soared through the air to dunk them down.

From The Wall Street Journal

To say there could be lots of alley-oop passes this season for St. Francis might be an understatement.

From Los Angeles Times

He shoots 3-pointers and swats them away; he slams home alley-oops and hauls in rebounds.

From The Wall Street Journal

And the kind of two-on-one fast break with Austin Reaves and LeBron James that usually would be an alley-oop became an alley-oops when Reaves threw the ball too high and James missed the layup.

From Los Angeles Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.