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Glite Dictionary
cager

cager

1 9.9
A person who plays basketball, especially in the early days of the sport
  • noun
  • /ˈkeɪdʒər/
  • Archaic
translation icon : jugador de baloncesto
  • During the 1970s, many skilled cagers paved the way for the popularity of basketball in schools.
  • Willie Cager

Examples

  • Many talented cagers are recruited from high schools each year.

  • In the early 1900s, cagers played behind wire fences to keep the ball in play.

  • The college cager scored 22 points in last night's game.

  • The cager scored the winning basket.

  • Many cagers played in the early leagues.

  • In the local basketball league, he was known as a legendary cager who inspired many young players.

  • The article discussed the contributions of famous cagers who played in the early days of the sport.

Synonyms

basketball player
vscager
70 1.0

A person who plays basketball for a team, often professionally

is an older term rather than this common modern label
baller
vscager
  • Slang
4 8.0

A person who plays basketball professionally or at a high level

is an older expression rather than this modern competitive term
basketballer
vscager
1 2.5

A person who plays basketball, usually as a professional or skilled player

is an older label, not the current standard term
hooper
vscager
  • Slang
1 7.4

A person who plays basketball for fun

is an older term, not the casual hobbyist expression
basketeer
vscager
1 7.9

A person who plays basketball

is an older term used mainly in the sport's earlier days
hoopster
vscager
  • Slang
1 8.4

A person who plays basketball

is an older label and not the current slang form

Surface Forms

cager singular
cagers plural

Morphology

cager = cage (opaque) = cage + er

The word is formally built from 'cage' + '-er', but the specialized meaning 'basketball player' depends on an old sporting association that is not guessable from the base word alone.

Etymology

The word cager comes from the word cage, because early basketball courts were often surrounded by a wire 'fence' to keep the ball in play. So a cager was a player who played inside that 'cage', and today the word means a basketball player.