variants
or air-ball
airballed or air-balled; airballing or air-balling; airballs or air-balls
US, basketball
: to completely miss the rim and backboard with a shot : to shoot an air ball
Fesenko … badly airballed a free throw in the first quarter.—
Ross Siler
Ross Siler
variants
or airball
plural air balls or airballs
US, basketball
: a shot that completely misses the rim and backboard
Examples of airball in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Scott Horner, The Indianapolis Star, 18 Mar. 2023
Hayward made one free throw and airballed the second, completing the 11-0 run.
—David Woods, Indianapolis Star, 25 Mar. 2020
Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 12 Jan. 2025
And then out of nowhere, Amen Thompson skied in from the weak side for a tip dunk on the air ball.
—Jovan Buha, The Athletic, 6 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for airball
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Verb
Purdue basketball falls on wrong side of history with loss to 16-seed FDU Reaction:Another Purdue March meltdown: 'What an embarrassment' Closing minute Fletcher Loyer airballs a 3 and Purdue fouls.
—Scott Horner, The Indianapolis Star, 18 Mar. 2023
Hayward made one free throw and airballed the second, completing the 11-0 run.
—David Woods, Indianapolis Star, 25 Mar. 2020
Noun
Memphis switched, and Brandon Clarke forced Edwards into a contested 3-point attempt at the horn that resulted in an air ball.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 12 Jan. 2025
And then out of nowhere, Amen Thompson skied in from the weak side for a tip dunk on the air ball.
—Jovan Buha, The Athletic, 6 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for airball
Cite this Entry
“Airball.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/airball. Accessed 4 Apr. 2025.
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