alley-oop
noun
al·ley-oop
ˌa-lē-ˈyüp 
plural alley-oops
1
basketball
: a play in which a leaping player catches a pass above the basket and immediately dunks the ball
The meeting of man and ball was dazzling, the two handed alley-oop slam-dunk spectacular.—
Shelly Smith
Shelly Smith
also
: the usually high, arcing pass thrown on such a play
He threw an alley-oop to George Lynch on a fast break … —The New York Times
The New York Times 2
American football
: a play in which the quarterback throws a high, arcing pass into the end zone to be caught by a leaping receiver
Quarterback Moore hooked up with receiver Moore on one of their patented alley-oops to make the score 20-7.—Austin Murphy
Austin Murphy
also
: the pass itself
… an alley-oop pass to Chandler from Manning gave the Saints a 13-7 lead. —Larry McMillen
Larry McMillen … he … tossed an alley-oop to Tate Casey for the first touchdown pass of his college career. —USA Today
USA Today
alley-oop
verb, transitive + intransitive
alley-ooped; alley-ooping; alley-oops
… they dribbled around us, passed behind their backs, and alley-ooped for a bunch of slam dunks.
—D. J. MacHale
D. J. MacHale
Rob alley-ooped the ball toward the basket.
—Stanley Gordon West
Stanley Gordon West
On the opening drive of the third quarter, Flacco basically alley-ooped a pass from the 7, and Heap outmuscled safety Tyrone Carter for the ball in the rear right corner of the end zone.
—Edward Lee
Edward Lee
Examples of alley-oop in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Hachimura finished with 23 points on 10-of-13 shooting, throwing down multiple alley-oops during a third quarter the Laker won 40-31.
—Khobi Price, Oc Register, 25 Oct. 2025
Xavier Tillman’s alley-oop dunk fits into that category.
—Jay King, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2025
Late in the third period, the third-overall pick was on the receiving end of an alley-oop from Justin Edwards for two of his eight points in the quarter.
—Bobby Krivitsky, Forbes.com, 16 July 2025
After an underwhelming start to summer league, Ware was far more aggressive, active and engaged, hitting a hook shot on Miami’s first possession en route to an 11-point first quarter that also included an alley-oop dunk (from Javonte Cooke), a three-pointer, two blocks and a steal.
—Miami Herald, 14 July 2025
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Khobi Price, Oc Register, 25 Oct. 2025
Xavier Tillman’s alley-oop dunk fits into that category.
—Jay King, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2025
Late in the third period, the third-overall pick was on the receiving end of an alley-oop from Justin Edwards for two of his eight points in the quarter.
—Bobby Krivitsky, Forbes.com, 16 July 2025
After an underwhelming start to summer league, Ware was far more aggressive, active and engaged, hitting a hook shot on Miami’s first possession en route to an 11-point first quarter that also included an alley-oop dunk (from Javonte Cooke), a three-pointer, two blocks and a steal.
—Miami Herald, 14 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for alley-oop
Cite this Entry
“Alley-oop.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/alley-oop. Accessed 3 Nov. 2025.
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