technical foul

noun

basketball
: a foul that is assessed to a player, coach, or team typically for unsportsmanlike conduct (such as arguing with an official or taunting an opponent) and does not usually involve physical contact with an opponent while the ball is in play

called also technical

compare personal foul

Examples of technical foul in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Edwards added seven quick points as the Wolves opened the extra period on a 9-0 run, but as the Nuggets fought back, Edwards picked up two technical fouls and was ejected. Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 26 Dec. 2025 There were three technical fouls handed out and one ejection. Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 21 Dec. 2025 The first-year Nuggets coach angrily confronted the officiating crew out to mid-court even after being handed his second technical foul, which automatically results in an ejection. Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 21 Dec. 2025 Seaman missed two free throws with five seconds left but grabbed his own rebound before a technical foul on Ward. Oc Register, 21 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for technical foul

Word History

First Known Use

1896, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of technical foul was in 1896

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Cite this Entry

“Technical foul.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/technical%20foul. Accessed 31 Dec. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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