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Definition 2024


play-by-play

play-by-play

English

Adjective

play-by-play (not comparable)

  1. (US) Describing a sports commentary in which a commentator describes every action in some detail as it occurs, often assisted by a second commentator who provides background information and other comments

Synonyms

Noun

play-by-play (plural play-by-plays)

  1. (US) A detailed description or analysis of sporting events as they occur in succession, one play at a time.
    • 2004, Dean Oliver, Basketball on Paper: Rules and Tools for Performance Analysis:
      So I collected a cross section of play-by-plays, definitely not as many as I'd like to collect but enough to feel pretty comfortable with what I was seeing.