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

After the officials missed a clear traveling call on Ball, Steve Kerr picked up a technical foul. —Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 4 Mar. 2025

That likely erased any possibility of having either technical foul rescinded by the league. —Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 28 Feb. 2025

Before Michigan State senior center Szymon Zapala took two free throws, an official stopped play to run to the scorers table, and the public address announcer was forced to ask fans not to throw anything onto the court or risk a technical foul assessed to Maryland. —Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 27 Feb. 2025

Later in the second quarter, Magic assistant Dale Osbourne was given a technical foul as well. —Jason Beede, Orlando Sentinel, 22 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1896, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for technical foul

• afoul
• wildfowl
• foule
• fowl
• growl
• howl
• jowl
• owl
• prowl
• scowl
• waterfowl