free throw lane
- noun
- /fri θroʊ leɪn/
:
zona de tiro libre
- No defender is allowed in the free throw lane during the foul shot.
Examples
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The player stood in the free throw lane waiting for the ball.
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The coach instructed the players to stay outside the free throw lane until the ball was released.
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He stepped into the free throw lane too early and was called for a violation.
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He practiced his shots in the free throw lane every day.
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The player stood at the edge of the free throw lane waiting for the referee's signal.
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During practice, the coach emphasized the importance of positioning in the free throw lane.
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The foul occurred just inside the free throw lane, resulting in a penalty shot.
Synonyms
7
5.8
The painted rectangular area near the basket on a basketball court
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is largely built from constituents — a 'lane' (a marked area) associated with the act of a 'free throw' — so the phrase literally denotes the area used for free throws. However, 'free throw' is a sport-specific term and the sense of 'free' here is specialized, so learners without basketball knowledge may not fully derive the exact technical meaning from the parts alone.
Etymology
Free throw lane comes from free throw, the shot a player gets after a foul, and lane, a marked path or rectangle on the court. Think of a narrow rectangle by the basket where players line up while someone takes a free throw, and that's why the phrase means the marked area with special rules during a free throw.