alley-oop

noun

al·​ley-oop ˌa-lē-ˈyüp How to pronounce alley-oop (audio)
plural alley-oops
1
basketball : a play in which a leaping player catches a pass above the basket and immediately dunks the ball
The meeting of man and ball was dazzling, the two handed alley-oop slam-dunk spectacular.Shelly Smith
also : the usually high, arcing pass thrown on such a play
He threw an alley-oop to George Lynch on a fast break … The New York Times
2
American football : a play in which the quarterback throws a high, arcing pass into the end zone to be caught by a leaping receiver
Quarterback Moore hooked up with receiver Moore on one of their patented alley-oops to make the score 20-7.Austin Murphy
also : the pass itself
… an alley-oop pass to Chandler from Manning gave the Saints a 13-7 lead. Larry McMillen
… he … tossed an alley-oop to Tate Casey for the first touchdown pass of his college career. USA Today
alley-oop verb, transitive + intransitive
alley-ooped; alley-ooping; alley-oops
… they dribbled around us, passed behind their backs, and alley-ooped for a bunch of slam dunks. D. J. MacHale
Rob alley-ooped the ball toward the basket. Stanley Gordon West
On the opening drive of the third quarter, Flacco basically alley-ooped a pass from the 7, and Heap outmuscled safety Tyrone Carter for the ball in the rear right corner of the end zone. Edward Lee

Examples of alley-oop 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.
Wagner twice connected with Wendell Carter Jr. for a pair of alley-oops in the first half. Jason Beede, Orlando Sentinel, 22 Feb. 2025 Achiuwa then charged past the Bulls’ transition defense, leapt from about a step inside the free-throw line and collected a lob from Brunson for a high-flying alley-oop dunk. Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 21 Feb. 2025 This is the same action with Dončić recognizing Clarkson has shifted over toward him, and there’s a clear angle for an alley-oop to the rolling Hayes. Jovan Buha, The Athletic, 18 Feb. 2025 For his next attempt, Stephon Castle nabbed a solid hammer slam off an alley-oop look. Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 16 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for alley-oop

Word History

Etymology

alteration of allez-oop, cry of a circus acrobat about to leap, probably from French allez, 2nd person plural imperative of aller to go + English -oop, perhaps alteration of up

First Known Use

1965, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of alley-oop was in 1965

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Cite this Entry

“Alley-oop.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/alley-oop. Accessed 27 Feb. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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