English

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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In the sense of beating out the buzzer which ends a game.

Noun

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buzzer-beater (plural buzzer-beaters)

  1. (basketball, idiomatic) A shot that wins (or in some usage, ties) a game at the last possible moment.
    • 2013, Pete Birle, On the Hardwood: New York Knicks, MVP Books, →ISBN, page 40:
      The Knicks immediately went 7-0 upon Lin's insertion in the lineup. He dropped 38 against the Lakers and beat Toronto with a buzzer-beater.