technical foul

noun

basketball

: a foul that is assessed to a player, coach, or team typically for unsportsmanlike conduct (such as arguing with an official or taunting an opponent) and does not usually involve physical contact with an opponent while the ball is in play

called also technical

compare personal foul

Examples of technical foul 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.

But Jokić drove inside for a jam and made a technical foul shot to send the Nuggets into the fourth with a 96-95 lead. —

Jay Cohen, Chicago Tribune, 28 Jan. 2025 Instead, Dickinson and White were whistled for a technical foul apiece. —

Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 24 Jan. 2025 The dust-up led to technical fouls for both players and briefly seemed like a moment that would ignite TCU to go on another run. —

Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Jan. 2025 Daniels picked up a technical foul in frustration during the third quarter and fouled out late in the fourth, cementing Brunson’s dominant performance. —

Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 21 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for technical foul

Word History

First Known Use

1896, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of technical foul was in 1896

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Technical foul.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/technical%20foul. Accessed 1 Feb. 2025.

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