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inbounds

inbounds

3.6
Inside the playing area and still in play
  • adjective
  • /ˈɪnˌbaʊndz/
  • Jargon
translation icon : dentro de los límites
  • As soon as the ball hit the ground, it was still inbounds and the game continued.

Examples

  • The player quickly grabbed the ball after it bounced back inbounds from the goalpost.

  • The referee confirmed that the throw-in was taken from an inbounds position on the field.

  • I saw LeBron James with I don't know how many seconds were left in the game, take the ball inbounds, walk the ball down.

Synonyms

in
vsinbounds
∞ 1.0

Inside a place or group

is specific to sports boundaries and marks being still playable
inside
vsinbounds
75 1.0

Near the middle of something, not at the outer edge

is about being within playing boundaries rather than nearer the center
in-bounds
vsinbounds
3 3.0

Inside the marked area between boundary lines where play is allowed

is the same meaning but written without a hyphen in modern usage

Antonyms

out of bounds
21 3.7

Not allowed because it is outside the allowed area or against the rules

Surface Forms

inbounds positive

Morphology

inbounds = bound (semi-transparent) = in + bound

While 'in' and 'bound' are clear, the specific sports-related meaning is specialized.

Etymology

Inbounds comes from in- meaning 'inside' and bounds meaning 'limits' or 'edges', the same idea you see in boundary. So in sports inbounds means 'inside' the playing area and still in play.