Charity stripe is a colloquial term used in basketball to refer to the free throw line. It's called the charity stripe because a successful free throw attempt usually leads to a point for the team, almost like a "charitable" contribution towards the score. Some synonyms for charity stripe include foul line, free throw line, and the stripe. The foul line is used because a player earns the free throw attempt after being fouled while shooting or after the opposing team commits a certain number of fouls in a game. The free throw line is self-explanatory, while the stripe refers to the painted line on the court.