Definition of "double-team" [double-team]

• Sports To guard or cover (an offensive player) with two defensive players simultaneously. (verb-transitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Problem was, Lewis wasn't hitting shots this season and teams no longer worried about leaving him to double-team Howard."
• "Initially overplaying Jordan to keep the ball from him, sometimes they allowed guard Joe Dumars to play him straight up, or run a double-team at him the minute he touched the ball, forcing him to pass to an ineffective teammate."
• "Under double-team pressure, Worthy attempted a foolish cross-court pass."