Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
basketball play

basketball play

3.0
A planned action a basketball team uses during a game to score or defend
  • noun
  • /ˈbæskɪtˌbɔl pleɪ/
translation icon : jugada de baloncesto
  • The coach designed a new basketball play to help the team score more points during the game.

Examples

  • A lot of Stiffs point to Chris Andersen and his desire to leave his feet and his man to go for blocks; hopefully, McGee will learn over time that that isn't always the best basketball play.

    Blog text (11)

  • During practice, the players worked on executing a fast-break basketball play effectively.

  • The team's success relied on their ability to communicate and execute their basketball play under pressure.

Synonyms

play
vsbasketball play
685 1.2

A player's turn or move in a game

is a planned team action or strategy rather than any single move or turn
full-court press
vsbasketball play
  • Informal
2 5.1

A strong, aggressive effort to reach a goal quickly, often to win support

is a general planned team strategy rather than one specific aggressive tactic

How Complex

strategy
∞ 3.7
game plan
71 3.7
basketball play
3.0
move
362 1.3

Surface Forms

basketball play singular
basketball plays plural

Morphology

basketball + play

The meaning 'a planned action or strategy in basketball' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'basketball' (the sport) with 'play' (an action or strategic maneuver). This simple noun–noun composition follows normal English compounding patterns and has straightforward equivalents in many languages, so a B1 learner who knows both words will readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

The noun basketball play pairs basketball and play to create a simple picture: players follow a short 'script' on the court, each moving to a set place to help the team. That's why the phrase means a 'planned action' or strategy to score or defend.