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.
And then the Spoelstra technical foul for calling the timeout the Heat did not have. Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 13 Nov. 2024 Clark came just one technical foul shy of earning a one-game suspension this year. Jackson Thompson, Fox News, 20 Sep. 2024 Most Popular Dan Hurley explains costly technical foul, more from UConn’s overtime loss in Maui Invitational Dan Hurley explains costly technical foul, more from UConn's overtime loss in Maui Invitational CVS broadens its ‘mass layoff’ with more CT positions cut. Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 27 Nov. 2024 Minutes later, after continuing to spout off, he and UConn’s bench earned a Class A technical foul. Brendan Marks, The Athletic, 25 Nov. 2024 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

Dictionary Entries Near technical foul

Cite this Entry

“Technical foul.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/technical%20foul. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!