Basketball Definition & Meaning

American

British

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Examples

Related Words

Synonyms basketball American [bas-kit-bawl, bah-skit-] / ˈbæs kɪtˌbɔl, ˈbɑ skɪt- /

noun

1. a game played by two teams of usually five players each on a rectangular court having a raised basket or goal at each end, points being scored by tossing the ball through the opponent's basket.

2. the round, inflated ball approximately 30 inches (76 centimeters) in circumference, used in this game.

basketball British / ˈbɑːskɪtˌbɔːl /

noun

1. a game played by two opposing teams of five men (or six women) each, usually on an indoor court. Points are scored by throwing the ball through an elevated horizontal metal hoop

2. the inflated ball used in this game

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

• probasketball adjective

Etymology

Origin of basketball

An Americanism dating back to 1890–95; basket + ball 1

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.

I watched the last three minutes and … that was a different type of basketball.”

From Los Angeles Times

The expectation has long been that Arenas would play one season of college basketball before declaring for the NBA draft.

From Los Angeles Times

But on Tuesday night against the Washington Wizards, he authored perhaps the single strangest game in the history of professional basketball—and scored 83 points in the process.

From The Wall Street Journal

Quiet and withdrawn at first, Harker opened up as he got to know Sanchez’s sons through playing basketball, she said.

From Los Angeles Times

Moments after Palisades won the City Section Open Division boys basketball title, EJ Popoola declared his team was far from done.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• ball

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.