A casual, clipped shorthand for basketball, widely used in everyday American speech since at least the 1970s. Typically used in informal conversation, playground talk, or sports commentary to avoid saying the full word. It carries no particular connotation beyond informality and is friendly enough for all ages. You'll hear it most often among players and fans discussing pick-up games, neighborhood courts, or professional leagues.
We're heading to the park to shoot some b-ball after school — you in?
Add your own interpretation of "b-ball".
Regional slang from around the English-speaking world — British, Australian, Irish, Caribbean, Nigerian, Filipino, AAVE, and the hyphenated-English dialects that make the internet sound local.
See all Regional & Other slang on Slangora.
Browse all slang words starting with B.
No comments yet — say something.
A common informal shorthand for basketball, used in casual conversation, sports commentary, and social media. Simple and widely recognized with no regional restriction. The b stands for basketball and the ball element is retained from the sport's name. More informal than saying basketball but not especially slang — it is simply the dominant casual abbreviated form of the sport's name.
They met every Tuesday at the park for pickup b-ball regardless of weather.
No comments yet — say something.
(slang) basketball.
No comments yet — say something.