fast break
9
3.5
- noun
- /fæst breɪk/
- Jargon
:
contraataque
- Beal did a nice job attacking the rim on a fast break and forcing his way to the free-throw line.
- fast break offense
- dunk on a fast break
- fast break layup
Examples
-
Conley capped the spurt with a fast-break layup and finished off the three-point play for a 69-61 lead with 3:08.
Blog text (11) -
Without a fast break to turn to, Arkansas was lost offensively in the second half.
Blog text (5) -
You had only one moment to make the right move on a fast break, and mine had already passed.
Fiction book (1990) -
For the rest of the quarter, Sacred Heart used the fast break to score.
Blog text (17) -
No team's gotten to the finals without a fast break.
-
Portland conceded 17 fast break points in the first half.
Blog text (18) -
He's athletic enough to get out in transition, and skilled enough to finish off fast breaks.
Blog text (18) -
The Lakers won the quarter 35-30 as both teams shot over 60 percent and combined for 19 fast-break points.
Blog text (29) -
The team excelled in transition, executing a stunning fast break that left the opponents stunned.
-
After securing the rebound, the point guard initiated a quick fast break to take advantage of the defense.
Surface Forms
Morphology
The constituents 'fast' (quick) and 'break' (to break away) yield a plausible sense of a rapid separation or movement, so the basketball sense of a quick offensive play is partially derivable from the parts. However, 'break' also commonly means a rest/pause and the sports-specific noun use is jargonistic, so a B1 learner who knows the words may not reliably infer the precise basketball meaning without prior exposure.
Etymology
Fast break comes from basketball: when a team gets the ball they run fast and try to break away from the other team's defense to reach the basket before defenders can set up. That's why it means 'a quick offensive play' to score.