ncaa

IPA/ˈɛŋkˈɑː/
IPA/ˈɛŋkˈɑː/

ncaa — noun

1. National Collegiate Athletic Association — the main US organization that sets th

1.nounB1
Definition

National Collegiate Athletic Association — the main US organization that sets the rules for college and university sports competitions and organizes national championships across different sports.

Example

Eve received an NCAA scholarship to play basketball at UCLA.

NCAA + noun (scholarship)

The NCAA announced new rules about how student athletes can earn money from sponsors.

NCAA as subject of announcement

Grammar Patterns

NCAA + noun (as modifier)

Usage Note

Always written in capital letters (NCAA). It functions as a proper noun and is frequently used attributively before nouns such as "rules", "tournament", "scholarship", and "championship". This abbreviation refers specifically to the US college sports system; most other countries have separate organizations for university sports.

Common Mistakes

NCAA is a global sports organization.
NCAA is the US organization for college sports.
The NCAA only governs US colleges, not professional or international sports.

Etymology

EnglishAmerican English

NCAA stands for National Collegiate Athletic Association. The organization was founded in 1906 as the Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States (IAAUS) and adopted its current name in 1910. 'Collegiate' means relating to colleges, and 'athletic' relates to sports and physical competition. The abbreviation has become far more common in everyday use than the full name.