fast break

noun

: a quick offensive drive toward a goal (as in basketball) in an attempt to score before the opponent's defense is set up

fast-break

ˈfas(t)-ˌbrāk 

intransitive verb

Examples of fast break in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

There are plenty of statistical indicators that suggest otherwise, not least the fact that the team’s fast break attacks have plummeted after a spike early in the Italian’s tenure: During that period of relatively direct, transitional football, Maresca’s unease was palpable. —Liam Twomey, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2025

Memphis was on a fast break after a Thunder turnover. —Adam Zagoria, Forbes.com, 25 Apr. 2025

The costly foul occurred at the end of a hectic sequence in which Westbrook snatched what appeared to be a game-clinching steal, only to miss an uncontested layup at the end of a 2-on-1 fast break (reminiscent of Torrey Craig’s blunder against the 2020 Jazz). —Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 2 Apr. 2025

The crowd erupted when Wiggins — the former Warrior — stripped Butler on a fast break early in the first quarter. —Danny Emerman, Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1929, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for fast break

• awake
• backache
• beefsteak
• betake
• cheesecake
• cupcake
• daybreak
• earthquake
• eastlake
• forsake
• handshake
• headache