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 intransitive verb

Examples of fast break in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
However, the Pistons averaged 18.5 fast break points in their first two games of this series. Mat Issa, Forbes.com, 25 Apr. 2025 And the kind of two-on-one fast break with Austin Reaves and LeBron James that usually would be an alley-oop became an alley-oops when Reaves threw the ball too high and James missed the layup. Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2025 Robinson backed to the paint, taking away a layup on a Celtics fast break. Fred Katz, New York Times, 17 May 2025 They’ve been outscored 156-114 in the paint and 67-36 on fast breaks. Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 10 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for fast break

Word History

First Known Use

1929, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of fast break was in 1929

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Cite this Entry

“Fast break.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fast%20break. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.

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