Airball means: An unfunny joke or remark.. It is informal slang, fine in casual speech but not suited to formal contexts. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour. If your teen uses it, context will usually make the intent clear. A short, curious question about where they heard it is usually all that is needed to know whether to follow up.
airball
(slang) An unfunny joke or remark.
ˈɛɹˌbɔlDocumented since 1970s1970sGen Xhistorical173 viewsLast reviewed Sep 6, 2026＋ Add a definition
Etymology timeline
Born ~1979 · no dated citations yetBoomer / counterculture eraSee decade cohort →
Definitions
Global
#1·Apr 26, 2026Global
(slang) An unfunny joke or remark.
Johnson also could have tied the game, at 66-66 with 14 seconds left. But his jump shot was an airball. From that scramble Lopez emerged with the first of his key foul shots.
For parents
Airball means: An unfunny joke or remark.. It is informal slang, fine in casual speech but not suited to formal contexts. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour. If your teen uses it, context will usually make the intent clear. A short, curious question about where they heard it is usually all that is needed to know whether to follow up.
For ESL learners
airball means: An unfunny joke or remark.. Register: very informal, slang. Suitable only for casual conversation, chat and social media. Do not use in business, academic or news writing. A common learner mistake is using the word in a register it does not fit, or assuming a single global meaning; native speakers immediately notice when slang appears in formal contexts, so always check the surrounding register before producing it yourself.
Was this helpful?
Comments
Global
#2·Apr 26, 2026Global
(basketball) A shot that misses the backboard, rim and net entirely.
As soon as the shot left his hands, the spectators could see it was going to be an airball.
Origin: * From . * The first recorded use of the "airball" chant was on February 24, 1979, during a college basketball game between the Duke University Blue Devils and the North Carolina Tar Heels after the Tar Heels' Rich Yonakor took a shot which missed the rim. Origin information sourced from Wiktionary contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Was this helpful?
Comments
Global
#3·Apr 26, 2026Global
(basketball, transitive) To throw an airball.
Tatum struggled with fatigue through the final two rounds of the postseason and was exhausted to the point he was airballing shots by the time the Warriors were closing out the championship.
Was this helpful?
Comments
For specific readers
Why is this section here?
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
Used in
Global
Have a better definition?
Add your own interpretation of "airball".
⚡About Tech, Dev & AI slang
The vocabulary of software engineers, AI researchers, and anyone living in a terminal or on GitHub — from LLM to MCP, CORS to vibe coding, agentic to enshittification.
See all Tech, Dev & AI slang on Slangora.
Tags
Other words near "airball" (A)
Ainsleyain'taintchaain't nothing but a thangAIRairbagair biscuitairbrainairbrain energyairbrainerairbrain maxxingairbrain mode
Browse all slang words starting with A.