basketball
noun
bas·ket·ball
ˈba-skit-ˌbȯl 
often attributive
: 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
Lee, who had dinner with Ball and president of basketball operations Jeff Peterson earlier in the week to discuss goals, summer impressions, and personal growth, said Ball has registered a couple of personal records in the weight room this summer and was focused on building up his base.
—
Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 20 Sep. 2025
Some of the clothing celebrates the men’s basketball team and marquee players, such as recent Blue Devil and Dallas Mavericks first overall pick Cooper Flagg.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 20 Sep. 2025
Jonathan Kuminga #00 of the Golden State Warriors goes up to shoot and gets fouled by Malik Monk #0 of the Sacramento Kings during the fourth quarter of an NBA basketball game at Chase Center on March 13, 2025 in San Francisco, California.
—Gabe Smallson, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Sep. 2025
Brandon, 13, likes to stay active by playing sports, especially football, basketball and kickball.
—The Star, Kansas City Star, 20 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for basketball
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 20 Sep. 2025
Some of the clothing celebrates the men’s basketball team and marquee players, such as recent Blue Devil and Dallas Mavericks first overall pick Cooper Flagg.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 20 Sep. 2025
Jonathan Kuminga #00 of the Golden State Warriors goes up to shoot and gets fouled by Malik Monk #0 of the Sacramento Kings during the fourth quarter of an NBA basketball game at Chase Center on March 13, 2025 in San Francisco, California.
—Gabe Smallson, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Sep. 2025
Brandon, 13, likes to stay active by playing sports, especially football, basketball and kickball.
—The Star, Kansas City Star, 20 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for basketball
Cite this Entry
“Basketball.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/basketball. Accessed 24 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
basketball
noun
bas·ket·ball
-ˌbȯl
: a court game in which each of two teams tries to toss an inflated ball through a raised goal
also
: the ball used in this game
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share