alley-oop

American

[al-ee-oop] / ˈæl iˈup /

interjection

(used as a shout of encouragement, exhortation, or the like, especially when coordinating efforts to lift a heavy object.)

noun

Basketball. a quick-score play in which a high, arching pass is made to a teammate close to the basket, who leaps to catch the ball and in midair drops or stuffs it through the basket.

Etymology

Origin of alley-oop

First recorded in 1915–20; from French allez-hop; allez, imperative of aller “to go” + hop, variant of houp, an interjection of expressive origin; alley ¹ ( def. ), hoopla ( def. )

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The Lakers star then passed to a hustling Austin Reaves, who took a few dribbles to get a Kings defender to commit before making an alley-oop pass to James for a two-handed, rim-hanging dunk.

From Los Angeles Times

The Trojans slammed home one alley-oop, then another, then another in the second half.

From Los Angeles Times

Paul brought “Lob City” to L.A., throwing alley-oop passes to star forward Blake Griffin, who soared through the air to dunk them down.

From The Wall Street Journal

To say there could be lots of alley-oop passes this season for St. Francis might be an understatement.

From Los Angeles Times

He shoots 3-pointers and swats them away; he slams home alley-oops and hauls in rebounds.

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023