free throw

noun

: an unhindered shot in basketball made from behind a set line and awarded because of a foul by an opponent

Examples of free throw in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web After the All-Star break, Golden State ranks eighth in opponent free throws. Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 12 Mar. 2024 Cleveland point guard Darius Garland converted the resulting technical free throw to knot the score up at 97 and send the game into OT. Sam Joseph, CNN, 11 Mar. 2024 Santa Clara’s Adama Bal scored a team-high 16 points in the first half alone, scoring half his points on free throws. Ryan Finley, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Mar. 2024 Alabama shot 44% (33 of 75), but made 9 of 30 three-pointers and 17 of 25 free throws. Bob Holt, arkansasonline.com, 10 Mar. 2024 Brewton hit a free throw and Carper hit another corner 3-pointer to cut Fullerton’s deficit to 78-74, but that was as close as the Titans would get, as the Highlanders scored the game’s final six points. Staff and News Service Reports, Orange County Register, 8 Mar. 2024 The Heat fell to 6-12 this season when outscored by its opponent at the foul line and 7-13 this season when attempting fewer free throws than its opponent. Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 8 Mar. 2024 The Cougars were 22 for 28 from the free throw line. Matt Schubert, The Denver Post, 8 Mar. 2024 The Bulls went up 111-109 on a driving layup by White with 47.6 seconds to go and clinched the win with two free throws by DeRozan with 3.5 seconds on the clock. Jason Anderson, Sacramento Bee, 5 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'free throw.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1891, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of free throw was in 1891

Dictionary Entries Near free throw

Cite this Entry

“Free throw.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/free%20throw. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

free throw

noun
: a basketball shot worth one point that must be made from behind a specific line and is given because of a foul by an opponent

More from Merriam-Webster on free throw

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