full-court press

noun

1
: a press employed in basketball on both halves of the court
2
: an all-out effort or offensive

Examples of full-court press in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Immediately after Trump’s surprise victory, Trudeau and his advisers began a full-court press aimed at convincing U.S. officials that sticking with free trade remained in the United States’ economic interests. Jonathan Kay, Foreign Affairs, 15 Aug. 2017 Canceling the full-court press to restore the Iran nuclear deal will not be easy for the Biden administration, in part because some of its most senior foreign policy officials were key architects of the original agreement. Suzanne Maloney, Foreign Affairs, 28 Feb. 2023 Following the first 2024 debate with Trump, Biden launched a full-court press aimed at easing concerns about his candidacy among Democratic power players. Christian Datoc, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 16 July 2024 Democrats emerging from a closed-door meeting Tuesday to discuss President Biden’s political future offered support for their party leader a day after the White House’s full-court press to beat back critics within his party, even as some detractors pushed for a reset. Mike Lillis, The Hill, 9 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for full-court press 

Word History

First Known Use

1949, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of full-court press was in 1949

Dictionary Entries Near full-court press

Cite this Entry

“Full-court press.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/full-court%20press. Accessed 14 Nov. 2024.

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