Meaning & use
endline
Last updated
UK/ˈendlaɪn/
US/ˈɛndlaɪn/
Meaning
nouncountablesport
The boundary line at either short end of a court or field, beyond which the ball is out of play.
Grammar: Countable: the endline, both endlines.
Patterns
- behind the endline
- along the endline
The guard stepped on the endline and lost the ball.
She inbounded from the endline after a made basket.
The receiver dragged his foot just inside the endline for the catch.
Word forms
| plural | endlines |
|---|
Common combinations
- step on the endline
- He stepped on the endline while dribbling.
- run the endline
- Our point guard ran the endline to find a pass.
- inbound from the endline
- We inbound from the endline after each score.
- cross the endline
- The ball crossed the endline and the horn sounded.
Synonyms and how they differ
- baseline
- Baseline is the basketball term for the same line and is often used interchangeably, but endline is the formal rule-book word.
- back line
- Back line is a casual way to describe the rear boundary, while endline is exact.
- goal line
- Goal line is the line that must be crossed to score in some sports, whereas an endline just marks the edge of play.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: endline or sideline?
endline vs sideline
The sideline marks the long sides of the field, while the endline marks the short ends.
Practice
The ball went out of play when it crossed the ___ behind the basket.
Choose one answer.
The endline is the boundary at the short end, behind the basket; a sideline runs along the long sides.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “endline”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.
Your sentence stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.