zone defense

noun

: a system of defense (as in basketball or football) in which each player guards an assigned area rather than a specified opponent

Examples of zone defense in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Miami closed to within 85-79 very late in the third, a stretch when Miami briefly gave the Cavs problems with their zone defense. Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 21 Apr. 2025 Instead, Jesuit, supported by a loud contingent of students from its nearby campus, made eight threes and used its matchup zone defense to leave the Chancellors unable to respond in the fourth quarter after being down 43-40. Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 16 Mar. 2025 Milwaukee went on a staggering 34-3 run in the quarter, using the zone defense to reduce the Wolves to a mistake-prone, slow-reacting embarrassment. Jon Krawczynski, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2025 Rockets coach Ime Udoka deployed a zone defense often on Sunday, especially against Nuggets lineups that were sorely lacking shooters such as a second-quarter lineup with Jordan, Westbrook, Watson and Zeke Nnaji. Bennett Durando, The Denver Post, 23 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for zone defense

Word History

First Known Use

1927, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of zone defense was in 1927

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Zone defense.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/zone%20defense. Accessed 30 Apr. 2025.

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